Bengaluru: With the term of incumbent Mayor Sampath Raj coming to an end in September, the Congress’ coalition partner in the BBMP, JD(S) has staked claim to the post. Aspiring corporators have been lobbying hard with top leaders of both parties.
Although the BJP emerged the single-largest party in the BBMP, the Congress-JD(S) coalition pipped them to the post and formed the council. Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts have been shared by the Congress and JD(S) respectively, while the chairmen positions to various standing committees too have been taken by corporators from both parties.
Two Congress MLAs, Byrati Basavaraj and Munirathna, and JD(S) MLA Gopalaiah played a crucial role in keeping the Congress, JD(S) and independent corporators together to prevent them from being poached by the BJP.
The JD(S) feels that since H.D. Kumaraswamy is the Chief Minister heading the similar coalition, it can get the post for the third term.
Hemalatha Gopalaiah, corporator from Vrishabhavathinagar, has asked the party high command to consider her candidature for the post, which is reserved for general woman for 2018-19. Her husband Gopalaiah too is exerting pressure on the leaders to pick his wife, party sources said.
Mr Gopalaiah, who is a second-time MLA from Mahalakshmi Layout, had demanded a ministerial berth in the coalition government. Since he did not get the berth, he feels that his wife should be made the mayor, the sources revealed. Hemalatha was the deputy mayor when Manjunath Reddy from the Congress was the mayor.
