Ruling partners in MCC, rivals in by-election for Ward 15

Even as Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP have been sharing power at the Mysore City Corporation (MCC), with their corporators decorating the seats of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively, they will be fighting each other in the by-poll to Ward 15, scheduled be held on December 5. The ward is reserved for General candidate (Woman).

Interestingly, as told by a BJP senior leader, extending the alliance for the by-polls didn’t dawn on their mind, with JD(S) too keeping mum on the same. The regional party made its intention clear, by announcing Lakshmi Ganesh as its nominee, who filed her papers on November 20, and the BJP has decided on fielding its candidate, but is weighing options among the probables.

Cong defensive

While it is a matter of prestige for the Congress to retain the seat it had wrested from BJP, it is time to prove its mettle for the ruling partner in MCC.

In the previous elections, BJP candidate Vanaja Bheemaiah had finished second, while Lakshmi Ganesh had finished third against Congress nominee Manjula Manasa (who was later nominated as Chairperson to the Karnataka State Women’s Commission) who had won the polls. Manjula resigned later, necessitating the by-election.

A BJP leader on condition of anonymity told Deccan Herald, following the opinion of local leaders during a preliminary meeting held here recently, it was decided to pit a local candidate (from the same ward), instead of outsiders.

Among the 10 odd aspirants vying for the ticket, five, including the former corporators were outsiders. Not willing to take a chance, the saffron party is favouring a local aspirant to retain its lost bastion. Earlier, BJP’s Sunanda Phalanetra had represented the ward twice, till her failure to make it for the third time, but on KJP ticket during the previous elections. Phalanetra had to be content with fourth place.

At Congress, the ticket may go in favour of a youth Congress leader’s wife, who is rumoured to have met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru in this regard.
With a day left for filing nomination on Monday, the uncertainty over the candidate from both the parties is expected to be cleared on Sunday.
DH News Service