Bypolls shift focus from BBMP committee polls on Dec 4

The much-awaited moment for the BJP to rule Bengaluru's entire administrative chain has finally come in the final year of its term.

The BJP, which wanted to contest elections to 12 standing committees in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as well as the mayoral and deputy mayoral elections on the same day, seems to now be focused more on the state by-elections under which four city constituencies will see polling on Dec. 5.

Despite having the numbers, the BJP is yet to finalise candidates for all committees. The BJP had earlier considered conducting the standing committee elections on the mayoral polling day in October.

The BJP's situation, however, is not different from the Congress and the JD(S) with Bengaluru party leaders asking corporators to take part in election work and campaigning for the bypolls, which is scheduled just a day after the standing committee elections.

BJP insiders said that the standing committee elections are likely to be postponed as corporators have been asked to be absent during counting.

The elections will be postponed if council members present during counting is less than 1/3 strength, which is 256 in total. Mayor Gowtham Kumar, speaking to DH, admitted that the corporators are busy with campaigning for the by-elections in four Bengaluru constituencies.

Names such as Shashikala Keshav from Raipura ward, Sarala Mahesh from Lakkasandra ward, MN Srikanth from Devasandra ward, Gunashekar from Jayamahal ward, Hemalatha from Vrushabhavathi Nagar ward, Arya Srinivas from Hemmigepura ward and others are in the race for the 12 standing committees.

Earlier, the existing standing committee chairperson from the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition approached the High Court seeking cancellation of standing committee elections conducted with the mayoral polls, which prompted the eight committee elections to be pushed to Dec. 4.