Mysore/Mysuru: With just two days to go for the new Mayoral polls (on June 11) for the current term, the three major political parties are busy finalising their strategies for getting the top post. At present, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is ruled by JD(S)-Congress coalition, with Deputy Mayor Anwar Baig of Congress functioning as acting Mayor following the disqualification of Rukmini Madegowda.

The Mayoral polls has been necessitated by the disqualification of Rukmini (of JD-S) after Karnataka High Court on May 26 upheld the Mysuru District Court’s order annulling her election from MCC Ward 36 (Yaraganahalli and Ambedkar Colony). Rajani Annaiah of the Congress who lost in the 2018 polls, had challenged the election of Rukmini on the grounds that she (Rukmini) had  largely concealed her assets while filing nomination papers, which amounted to violation of electoral norms.

With political activities gaining momentum in all the three parties in the run up to the polls, K.R. Nagar JD(S) MLA S.R. Mahesh, briefing reporters here this morning, said that KPCC Working President R. Dhruvanarayan, who is also a former MP, has spoken to him on continuing the alliance in order to keep the BJP out of power. Even N.R. MLA Tanveer Sait, who played a crucial role in the last Mayoral polls held on Feb.24, too had spoken to him, during which he shared his bad experiences that he had with some of his fellow partymen from the Congress. City Congress President R. Murthy too had spoken to him on continuing the JD(S)-Congress alliance, he said.

Maintaining that he has infor-med all the Congress leaders who had spoken to him that the JD(S) was willing to accept a Congress Mayor this time only on the condition that the Mayor post for the remaining two terms be given for the JD(S), Mahesh said that he has  told the Congress leaders to talk to their High Command on the same.

Pointing out that in order to take forward the alliance, the Congress High Command should discuss with the JD(S) top brass, he said that the JD(S) will be forced to chart its own ways if the Congress does not agree to the condition. Mahesh asserted that the JD(S) would field its own candidate if the Congress disagrees to the condition.

Congress meeting 

Meanwhile, the City Congress has convened a meeting of its Corporators at the Congress Bhavan this evening to discuss the new set of  conditions reportedly set by the JD(S).The resolution taken at the meeting will be forwarded to the Congress High Command for its perusal and also for finalising the party’s strategy in case the coalition with the JD(S) falls through over the issue of Mayoral polls.

BJP not hopeful 

On its part, the BJP, which is the Opposition in the MCC, is not much hopeful of getting the Mayor post this time too as the JD(S) is said to be unwilling to partner with it, with no party having an absolute majority in the 65-member MCC (now reduced to 64 with the annulment of the election of Rukmini).

City BJP President T.S. Srivatsa told Star of Mysore  this morning that a meeting of party Corporators has been called at City BJP Office in Chamarajapuram this evening, which will be attended by all the 23 Corporators and 5 nominated Corporators. 

Pointing out that the meeting will discuss the Mayoral polls in detail, he said that the unanimous decision taken at the meeting will be discussed during another meeting to take place tomorrow evening (June 10), in which the District Minister, MP, MLAs and other top party leaders will take part.

Maintaining that the BJP was not much hopeful about getting the Mayor post this time too as the JD(S) is unlikely to support BJP, he said that, however, a miracle can happen if the JD(S) and Congress put up their own candidates in case the coalition collapses over the Mayoral polls.