Hubballi: The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) is preparing for the mayoral elections as the tenure of the current mayor would end on May 27. The Congress party aims to gain power from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by electing its candidate for the mayor’s position.
The key question on everyone’s mind is whether the charisma of former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who switched from the BJP to the Congress just before the assembly elections, will work in his favor. Shettar had claimed that his supporters, including office bearers of his previous party and BJP HDMC corporators, would back him in the assembly election. However, that didn’t happen, leading to curiosity about whether BJP HDMC members, some of whom support Shettar, will back the Congress in the mayoral election.
Interestingly, a few Congress HDMC members, led by Rajat Ullagaddimath, met with KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi on Friday in Bengaluru to discuss strategies for the mayoral election. They expressed their plans to seize power in the HDMC.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently holds 43 seats in the HDMC. This includes four out of the six independent members who have joined the BJP, while one independent member has joined the Congress. On the other hand, the Congress party has 34 members, including that one independent candidate. Additionally, there is one member from the Janata Dal (Secular) and three members from AIMIM, bringing the total number of members in the HDMC council to 82. It’s important to note that in the previous mayoral election, Chetan Hirekerur, an independent candidate, supported the BJP.
Apart from HDMC members, elected representatives such as MLAs, MLCs, and MPs representing the HDMC constituencies will also cast their votes. The Congress has two MLAs, Prasad Abbayya and Vinay Kulkarni, but Vinay is unable to vote as he has been barred from entering the district by a court in connection with the murder case of Yogishgouda Goudar.
On the other hand, BJP MLAs Arvind Bellad and Mahesh Tenginkai, MP Pralhad Joshi, and MLCs SV Sankanur and Pradeep Shettar will cast their votes. Based on the numbers, the BJP has a strong chance of retaining control of the local government. However, if Jagadish Shettar’s supporters decide to support the Congress candidates, the Congress party may have a slim chance of wresting power from the BJP.
For this election, the mayor’s post is reserved for a woman from the general category, while the deputy mayor’s post is also reserved for a candidate from the general category. The specific date for the mayoral poll has not been finalized yet.
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