Divakar elected Mangaluru Mayor

Three-time corporator Divakar and two-time corporator Janaki alias Vedavathi, both from BJP, were elected as mayor and deputy mayor respectively on Friday.

Regional Commissioner V Yashwanth conducted the elections at the council hall in Mangaluru City Corporation on Friday.

BJP had swept the elections to the 60-member council held on November 12, 2019, by winning 44 wards and Congress had won from 14 wards. Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) had won two seats.

Election to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor were conducted as per the reservation roaster for the 21st term dated September 3, 2018.

Accordingly, the mayor’s post was reserved for candidate hailing from BCM ‘A’ category while the deputy mayor post was for woman in general category.

Besides the councillors, two BJP MLAs from Mangalore North Dr Y Bharath Shetty and Mangalore South D Vedavyas Kamath and one Congress MLC Ivan D’Souza also voted to elect the mayor and deputy mayor.

Divakar represents ward number 46 — Contonment, and Janaki represents ward 9 — Kulai. Divakar and Janaki polled 46 votes each including that of two MLAs. While, Congress candidates for the mayor and deputy mayor posts, Keshava and Zeenath Samshuddin got 15 and 17 votes respectively.

SDPI Corporators—Muneeb Bengre and Shamshad Aboobakkar remained neutral during the elections for the post of mayor. But raised their hands in favour of Congress deputy mayor candidate Zeenath Samshuddin.

The returning officer also announced the constitution of four standing committees of the Council that comprises seven members each. The members were chosen unopposed for each committee.

Promises to review

Newly elected Mayor Divakar promised to review the hike in water tariff and solid waste management cess.

“The issue will be discussed in the first meeting of the council and suitable measures will be initiated,” he said.

Thanking the BJP for nominating him for the post of mayor, Divakar said, “From being a mere party worker, I have grown to become the mayor of Mangaluru. Let us all work together to strive for the development of Mangaluru. I will visit five wards in a day to listen to the grievances of the public.”

Congratulating the mayor, MLAs D Vedavyas Kamath and Dr Y Bharath Shetty urged him to provide good governance and work towards the development of the city, by taking up works related to basic infrastructure facilities.

Congress senior corporator Shashidhar Hegde urged the mayor to take all into confidence while implementing development works. Pro-development works should be initiated in Mangaluru.

BJP corporator Sudheer Shetty said that as promised in the BJP election manifesto, the mayor should initiate measures to constitute ward committees in all the 60 wards of Mangaluru City Corporation.

The survey for providing 24X7 water supply should be accelerated. A full-fledged private bus stand should be constructed neat Pumpwell (Mahaveera Circle), he added.