Hubballi: BJP councillors, Manjula Akkur and Laxmi Uppar were elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation respectively on Tuesday in a contest mired with charges of corruption.
While JD(S) councillor, Srikant Jamanal, who withdrew from the contest for Mayor at the last moment, claimed that the BJP had demanded Rs 50 lakh and residential sites from him for backing away, the newly elected Mayor Manjula Akkur alleged he had threatened her against filing her nomination for the election.
Of the 67 seats in the corporation, the BJP has 35, the Congress 22, and the JD(S) nine. Ms Manjula and Mr Jamanal were the only contenders for the Mayor's post reserved for a scheduled tribe candidate.
As the JD(S) planned to win by joining hands with the Congress, the contest was considered close. But Ms Manjula was elected unopposed with Mr Jamanal withdrawing his papers at the last moment.
However, denying Ms Manjula's complaint against him with the Vidyagiri police in Dharwad on Monday, Mr Jamanal alleged that she had demanded Rs 50 lakh and 50 residential sites from him to not run for the Mayoral post.
He claimed he had managed to raise only Rs 10 lakh and 10 residential sites and so she had gone ahead with filing her nomination.
