Bengaluru: The elections to various standing committees passed of smoothly, barring a few hiccups, on Friday. Elections to nine of the 12 standing committees were unanimous and each committee will have 11 members. However, there were nominations filed for committees such as town planning, ward level works and Administrative reforms.
Accounts, education, social justice and welfare, appeals, tax and finances, town planning and improvement, major public works, markets, public health, horticulture, ward level work and establishment and administrative reforms are the different standing committees for which corporators had stakes to become members.
All the 11 members finalized by the Congress high command had filed their nominations for town planning committee. But, G.K. Venkatesh, a supporter of Congress MLA Munirathna, claimed his stake by filing nomination. The council witnessed commotion following 13 nominations for 11 posts. Later, the issued had to be resolved at leaders’ level prompting corporators Shilpa Abhishek and Balakrishna to withdraw their nominations. Similarly, there were 12 nominations for ward level works and later Velu Naiker had to withdraw his nomination.
Elections to the standing committees were held under the chairmanship of regional commissioner Jayanti and deputy commissioner (Urban) V. Shankar. However, chairmen to the committees will be chosen by Mayor Sampath Raj. It may be recalled that the elections to the standing committees were postponed twice. Opposition leader in the BBMP council Padmanabha Reddy alleged that the ruling Congress has violated the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act by delaying the election process.
