<div>Till Thursday, names of JD(S) corporators Mahadevappa and B M Nataraj were doing rounds as the strong contenders for mayor’s post. <br /><br />B L Bhyrappa, a new entrant to the party, sprang a surprise emerging lucky to be elected as the first citizen of Mysuru on Friday.<br /><br />Bhyrappa, who claimed to be a consensual candidate, owed his election to JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, the party’s State unit president H D Kumaraswamy and a host of other leaders from the party, when media persons sought to know about his ‘surprise elevation’.<br /><br />Buttressing his victory, Bhyrappa claimed, “I had joined JD(S) when I was elected the chairman of Taxation, Finance and Appeals Standing Committee at the MCC, a year ago”. However, what raised the eyebrows of many, including those in the JD(S), was the rise of Bhyrappa, a party hopper. Bhyrappa started his political career with Congress in the early 1980s. A seasoned politician, Bhyrappa was a machine operator at Vikrant Factory (now J K Tyres) for 18 years, till he quit in 2003.<br /><br />Bhyrappa, who ventured into his own business as a civil contractor, successfully contested the elections to the MCC from the same ward on a BJP ticket in 2008. When former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa quit the saffron party and relaunched Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), Bhyrappa quit the BJP and joined KJP. He sought re-election on a KJP ticket from the same ward in 2013 and emerged victorious.<br /><br />When Yeddyurappa returned to his parent party and merged the KJP with BJP, a miffed Bhyrappa remained neutral and supported the JD(S)-BJP alliance. He later joined the JD(S).<br /><br />Unlike Bhyrappa, Mahadevappa is a senior JD(S) leader. He has also served as deputy mayor in the past. Nataraj, who had drifted away from Congress and contested on a JD(S) ticket in 2013, had won in his maiden election. He was also senior in the organisation compared to Bhyrappa.<br /><br />Vanita, who was elected deputy mayor, had won on Congress ticket in the previous term, before joining the BJP.</div>
<div>Till Thursday, names of JD(S) corporators Mahadevappa and B M Nataraj were doing rounds as the strong contenders for mayor’s post. <br /><br />B L Bhyrappa, a new entrant to the party, sprang a surprise emerging lucky to be elected as the first citizen of Mysuru on Friday.<br /><br />Bhyrappa, who claimed to be a consensual candidate, owed his election to JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, the party’s State unit president H D Kumaraswamy and a host of other leaders from the party, when media persons sought to know about his ‘surprise elevation’.<br /><br />Buttressing his victory, Bhyrappa claimed, “I had joined JD(S) when I was elected the chairman of Taxation, Finance and Appeals Standing Committee at the MCC, a year ago”. However, what raised the eyebrows of many, including those in the JD(S), was the rise of Bhyrappa, a party hopper. Bhyrappa started his political career with Congress in the early 1980s. A seasoned politician, Bhyrappa was a machine operator at Vikrant Factory (now J K Tyres) for 18 years, till he quit in 2003.<br /><br />Bhyrappa, who ventured into his own business as a civil contractor, successfully contested the elections to the MCC from the same ward on a BJP ticket in 2008. When former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa quit the saffron party and relaunched Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), Bhyrappa quit the BJP and joined KJP. He sought re-election on a KJP ticket from the same ward in 2013 and emerged victorious.<br /><br />When Yeddyurappa returned to his parent party and merged the KJP with BJP, a miffed Bhyrappa remained neutral and supported the JD(S)-BJP alliance. He later joined the JD(S).<br /><br />Unlike Bhyrappa, Mahadevappa is a senior JD(S) leader. He has also served as deputy mayor in the past. Nataraj, who had drifted away from Congress and contested on a JD(S) ticket in 2013, had won in his maiden election. He was also senior in the organisation compared to Bhyrappa.<br /><br />Vanita, who was elected deputy mayor, had won on Congress ticket in the previous term, before joining the BJP.</div>
