Speculations that Congress, which is in Opposition in the 82-member House at the Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagar Palike (HDMP), would upset the BJPs applecart in the mayoral election, were laid to rest on Tuesday.
Veena Baradwad, BJP corporator from Ward 46, was elected as the new mayor of the HDMP, while BJP corporator Satish Hangal from Ward 32 was elected as the deputy mayor.
Veena and Satish both garnered 46 votes each.
Suvarna Kalkuntla of Congress, representing Ward 59, who was in race for the mayor’s post, suffered a defeat as she polled only 37 votes. AIMIM, which has three corporators, eyeing for the mayor’s post, had fielded Ward 76 corporator Wahidakhan Allabaksh Kittur, who bagged three votes.
For the deputy mayor’s post, Congress had fielded Rajshekhar Kamati (who polled 37 votes) of Ward 4 against Satish Hangal of BJP. AIMIM candidate Nasir Ahmed Mehboobsab Honyal polled three votes.
Election officer Nitesh Patil, who is the Regional Commissioner, Belagavi Division, announced the results.
The BJP has 39 members followed by Congress with 33, independents with six, AIMIM with three and JD(S) with one in the 82-member House.
Since the local legislators and MP are qualified to cast their votes in this election, BJP could have additional four votes from MP Prahlad Joshi, MLAs Mahesh Tenginkai and Arvind Bellad, and MLC Pradeep Shettar.
The Congress, despite having two MLAs from the HDMP limits, could get only one vote in the form of Prasad Abbayya.
Another MLA, Vinay Kulkarni, could not cast his vote as the court has barred him from entering Dharwad district in connection with a murder case.
In the last mayoral poll, five independents had supported the BJP and later three of them had officially joined the saffron party.
This time around, the Congress, in a bid to snatch power from BJP, had tried to wean away the independents but did not succeed fully.
While two independents supported Congress, another independent, Chetan Hirekerur, voted in favour of BJP.
The lone JD(S) candidate Laxmi Hindesgeri who had supported BJP last time, favoured Congress this time around.
One BJP member, Saraswati Dhongdi, representing Ward 54, did not turn up for voting citing health problems.
Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, who too was a voter, decided to keep away from the election.
BJP MLC S V Sankanur, who had come to cast his vote, was not allowed to do the same as his name does not figure in the voter list of any assembly constituency under HDMP limits.
Election authorities had informed him that he would not be allowed to vote, but Sankanur had questioned this in the high court.
Hearing his plea, the court had directed the election authorities to examine the same. Following this, election officials had appraised the court about the reasons to not allow him to vote.
The court had subsequently dismissed Sankanur’s plea.
Mayor speaks
Speaking on the occasion, newly elected mayor Veena Baradwad said that she would work for the comprehensive development of the twin ciites and that there will not be any discrimination in developmental works between Hubballi and Dharwad.
However, the decision of the BJP to field candidates from Hubballi for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor has not gone well with the people. The convention has been to share the posts between corporators from Dharwad and Hubballi.