Congress' Gangambike is Bengaluru mayor

JD(S)'s Ramila Umashankar elected deputy

Amid high drama, Congress's Jayanagar ward (153) corporator Gangambike Mallikarjun was elected the 52nd mayor of Bengaluru on Friday.

Gangambike secured 130 votes. The JD(S) Ramila Umashankar was elected deputy mayor. She secured 129 votes.

Earlier, a fight erupted between the Congress and BJP corporators. The BJP party leaders were seen wooing Independent candidates, who played a major role in this year's polls.

The regional commissioner had to issue several warnings to bring the proceedings under control.

Two JD(S) corporators from Laggere ward, Manjula Narayana Swamy and K Devadas, were seen accompanying the BJP leaders initially. However, they returned to their party fold and voted for the Congress-JD(S) coalition.

BJP party leaders boycotted the process claiming that the election was not held through fair means. Opposition party leader in the BBMP Padmanabha Reddy had submitted a letter to the regional commissioner claiming four leaders from the Congress, including Jairam Ramesh, Raghu Achar, C K Manohar and V S Ugrappa have voter ID cards from two places, which is against the law.

Congress corporator Lalitha Thimmananjaiah was not allowed to vote for arriving late.

* Strength of electoral college: 259 *Members present: 253 *Members absent/not signed/not allowed: * H N Ananth Kumar and Nirmala Seetharaman, both Union Ministers * MLA R Roshan Baig * Councillors S Asha Suresh (Ward No 38), Nadeem Khanum of Ward No 139 and Lalitha

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