Bengaluru: Following a plea from incumbent Mayor Katte Satyanarayana that he should be allowed to complete one year at office, the deputy secretary of urban development department has extended his term till September 4, instead of April 22.
Officially, the Mayor’s term comes to an end on April 22, but last year the mayoral poll got delayed by five months, due to a legal tangle over the reservation of deputy mayor for 15th term. Mr Satyanarayana also contended that the two-month long model code of conduct had further affected his tenure.
Since the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act stipulates the power of the Mayor and his deputy for a year, Mr Katte had written a letter to the State Government in this regard.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor shall hold office, for one year from the date of his election and shall, notwithstanding the expiry of the terms, continue in office till his successor is elected, provided that in the meantime he does not cease to be a councillor.
“The judgment came in August last year and Mayoral election were held in September. This allowed my predecessor to hold the post for extra six months. I did not play any role and why should I lose. I also lost about two months as the code of conduct was in force for two months during my tenure due to the Lok Sabha polls. The next mayor may get just six months and it would not make much difference as the BBMP’s term will also conclude,” Mr Katte argued.
However, a large number of corporators, mostly the mayor aspirants, are opposed to the idea as it would deduct the next mayor’s tenure by six months. The next incumbent has been reserved for women.
