ZP, TP polls: Parties playing cards close to their chest

The district is going for polls in the second phase, while the first phase of polls will be conducted on December 26.

However, none of the parties could arrive on a consensus on the eve of the last date for filing nominations on December 19, for most of the seats as there were multiple aspirants.

Sources said, barring Janata Dal (Secular) which somehow managed to strike a solution  and also completed the process of distributing B-forms, Congress and BJP are still tightlipped. It’s nothing but a wait and watch policy practiced by the parties to make last minute changes, if necessary, in the candidates, if other parties announce the list. Not willing to take any chances, the parties this time have been playing cards close to their chest. None of the parties have announced the list.

In Congress and BJP, B-forms have been distributed among the top leaders to issue the same to the candidates at the appropriate time, on December 20.

Interestingly, 35 candidates confident of being blessed with tickets have already filed their nominations for the total 46 ZP seats in the district. And, majority among them are independents, while seven candidates have filed from each of Congress and BJP, two from JD-S.

For eight seats in Mysore district alone, 10 candidates have filed papers including four Congress, one each of BJP and JD-S and four independents. For Nanjangud that also has eight seats, 11 have submitted their papers- One each from Congress and BJP, nine from independents. Likewise, in T Narsipur, for seven seats, four have filed papers- one each from Congress and Independent and two from BJP, followed by seven for six seats in Hunsur-three each from BJP and independents and one from Congress, K R Nagar- only one nomination from JD-S for six seats, Periyapatna- for five seats, only one nomination, from independent and H D Kote- for six seats, one paper has been received again from an independent.

As disgruntled BJP leader and former minister ‘Benki’ Mahadev is formally joining Janata Dal (Secular) here on December 20, the party has not finalised the list of candidates for Nanjangud and Chamarajanagar district. It will be the prerogative of Mahadev to select the candidates in his home turf Nanjangud and also Chamarajanagar, said a leader on condition of anonymity.

Of the total 46 ZP seats in the district, 24 is reserved for women candidates. In taluk panchayat, the district has a total of 171 seats comprising seven TPs. The Mysore Taluk Panchayat alone has 32 seats. For the first time electronic voting machines are being used  in TP and ZP elections.