JOIN USIn all likelihood, the city municipal council —Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) — is likely to maintain the status quo without any change in the body.
There were questions as to how the state Assembly elections would affect the local bodies, especially the BBMP.
However, after the results on Tuesday, there would be no change in the BBMP status as the Congress-JD(Secular) coalition is likely to form the government in the state.
In fact, the result is a reflection of the BBMP election results, at a broader picture.
The BBMP election was held in 2015, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 100 of 198 seats. While the Congress won 76, the JD(S) 14 seats and others won eight seats. The Congress and JD(S) then joined hands to rule the BBMP.
A similar trend can be seen now after the Assembly results. However, in the BBMP, the Congress has been holding key positions right from the alliance in 2015. But, here in the Assembly, it is the JD(S) that is likely to hold key positions.
The Congress-JD(S) alliance was further strengthened during the mayoral elections in 2017. During this period, the JD(S) leaders agreed to support the Congress but had demanded certain key posts in return.
Keeping up the promise, while the Congress elected R Sampath Raj as the mayor, chairman of standing committee of Tax and Finance Committee —the key administration position — was given to JD(S) leader M Mahadev. This position is important as the chairman is responsible for the financial aspects of the city administration, which is also the capital of the state.
If it is going to be a JD(S) government with the Congress' support in the state, it would be interesting to observe the changes in key posts in the BBMP.