Belgavi City Corporation: Savita Kamble elected as mayor, Anand Chavan as Deputy Mayor

Belgavi: BJP corporator Savita Kamble was elected as mayor of Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) unopposed while Anand Chavan was elected as deputy mayor during the election held in the council hall of the civic body on Thursday.

Elections for the 22nd term of Mayor and Deputy Mayor were recently held.

BJP corporators arrived to the council hall raising Jai Shree ram slogans and wearing saffron turbans.

Regional Commissioner Sanjay Shettennavar conducted the election.

Post of Mayor had been reserved for Scheduled Caste Woman category and Deputy Mayor for General category. BJP corporators Laxmi Rathod representing ward No 35 and Savita Kamble ward No 17 were eligible for the post of Mayor.

After hectic deliberations BJP finalised name of Savita Kamble for the post of Mayor as one state leader had remained stubborn for one particular candidate.

Name of Anand Chavan representing ward No 44 finalised for the name of Deputy Mayor.

Opposition Congress led group did not have any candidate for the post of Mayor. They fielded Jyoti Kadolkar for the post of Deputy Mayor.

Nomination for the post of Mayor was filed by Savita Kamble and Laxmi Rathod. After scrutiny nomination of both the candidates were found valid.

Rathod withdrew her nomination papers and remained in the fray and was elected unopposed.

Jyoti Kadolkar and Shamobi Pathan had filed nomination papers for the post of Deputy Mayor as opposition candidates and Anand Chavan and Madhavi Ragoche as ruling group candidate. Ragoche and Pathan withdrew their nomination papers.

Kadolkar and Chavan remained in the fray.

Chavan polled 39 votes and got elected as deputy mayor. Kadolkar polled 20 votes.

In the 58 member BCC for which election were held on symbols for the first time, BJP gained power by getting 35 members elected. Congress has 10 members, AIMIM 1. Among the independents 2 have joined the BJP group and rest were in the Congress led opposition group. Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti which lost ground had succeeded in getting 3 members elected as independents who were with the Congress group.

Ex'-officio members with voting powers were 7. Among them MP Mangal Angadi and MLA Abhay Patil took part in the voting.

Earlier core committee meeting of BJP held at a hotel in the morning did not arrive at a consensus decision regarding the candidate for the post of Mayor which resulted in BJP State Vice President Anil Benake, MLA Abhay Patil, MP Mangal Angadi, former minister Murugesh Nirani, M B Zirali and others coming to the BCC to interact with the corporators.

Sources said that one of BJP state leader demanding name of particular candidate for the post of Mayor delayed zeroing of the candidate.

Savita Kamble who has completed job oriented course post SSLC had worked as health section supervisor under contractor for few months and later as factory employee. People from the ward financed and got her elected as corporator.