Since the Congress is the principal opposition party in the Council, Nagaraj will be the leader of the Opposition.
Besides Nagaraj, names of former MLA K Chandrashekhar and Uday Shankar were also doing the rounds for the post. Nagaraj belongs to Kuruba community, one of the backward classes, and the party’s strategy is to cash in on allegations made against the BJP that it denied an opportunity for backward classes by changing the reservation for the mayor’s post. A writ petition was also filed in Karnataka High Court challenging the reservation for the Mayor’s post.
“Our effort is to gain political mileage by appointing a member from the community, which was denied an opportunity to become Mayor, as leader of the opposition,” a Congress leader said.
Congress appointed Govindaraju, first time corporator from Ganesha Mandir ward, as the party’s deputy leader in the Council.
JD(S) appointed Padmanabha Reddy, corporator from Kacharakanahalli, as party’s floor leader and Lalitabai Mukunda Rao as secretary.
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