BJP wins in Puttur, hung ULBs in Bantwal, Ullal

While BJP trounced Congress and JD(S) in the Puttur City Municipal Council (CMC) election to get a clear majority, the urban local body (ULB) polls in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district ended in hung Houses in Bantwal Town Municipal Council (TMC) and Ullal CMC, on Monday.

BJP won with a thumping majority in Puttur CMC. Out of 31 seats, the BJP won 25 seats while Congress secured five and Independents just one.

In fact, Puttur TMC was upgraded as CMC in 2015 and the election to the CMC was held for the first time. Four wards have been increased with the ugradation of TMC to CMC. A total of 77 candidates had contested the election with BJP and Congress fielding candidates in all the 31 wards. JD(S) had contested from nine wards while SDPI had field candidates in three wards and independents from two and BSP from one ward.

For the first time in the history of Puttur local body election, the SDPI has opened its account while the JD(S) could not win even in one ward.

Jeevandhar Jain from BJP, who had also served as the civic body’s vice president in the past, has won the election for the fifth time.

In the previous term, though BJP had a majority, it is the Congress members who had served as the presidents in the last five years due to reservation and rebel from the Congress members.

Hung House

In Ullal CMC, neither the BJP nor the Congress could get a clear majority of 16 seats to come power. Out of 31 wards, the Congress has won in 13, BJP and SDPI in six each, JD(S) in 4 and Independents have won in two wards. The CMC comes under Minister for Urban Development and Housing U T Khader’s constituency.

Ullal had been a Congress bastion for the last 30 years. In the previous term of the TMC, the Congress had 17 seats, BJP seven, SDPI one and independents had two seats.

Interestingly, the Congress and BJP candidate in ward number 16 of Ullal had won equal votes of 370 each. A tie was resolved by draw of lots and luck favoured BJP candidate Rajesh. It is for the first time that JD(S) won four seats in Ullal.

Bantwal TMC

In Bantwal TMC, both the Congress and the BJP have to go for an alliance with the SDPI to come to power.

For a clear majority, the Congress and the BJP need 14 seats. Out of 27 wards, Congress has won in 12 wards, BJP in 11 and SDPI in four wards. In the previous tenure, the Congress had a majority with 13 members out of 23 seats. This year, four wards have been increased in the Bantwal TMC.

Stone pelting

Miscreants pelted stones at a furniture shop at Kallapu on the outskirts of Mangaluru, soon after the announcement of the Ullal CMC results. The police rushed to the spot and resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd.