Madikeri CMC president, vice president elections postponed

Members of BJP oppose move by Returning Officer Iswar Kumar Kandoo, raise slogans

In an unexpected development, the election of the president and vice president of Madikeri City Municipal Council was postponed by Returning Officer Iswar Kumar Kandoo, on Monday.

The BJP members opposed the move by the returning officer and raised slogans.

Madikeri City Municipal Council has 16 members from BJP, one member from Congress, 5 members from SDPI and one member from JD(S).

The elections for the CMC was held last April and the elections for the post of president and vice president were due.

As per the reservation list, the president’s post was reserved for a woman from the general category and the vice president's post for a woman belonging to the backward classes ‘A’ category.

The election process began at the CMC on Monday from 10 am onwards.

Anitha Poovaiah and Savitha Rakesh from the BJP filed nominations for the post of the president and the vice president of the CMC respectively. Mary Weigas from the SDPI filed nomination for the post of president and Neema Arshad from SDPI submitted nomination for the vice president’s position.

Both Anitha Poovaiah and Savita Rakesh were sure of getting elected as the BJP has a clear majority in the CMC. They had even waved the victory sign while coming out after filing nominations in the morning.

As nobody withdrew the nominations, the election was scheduled at 2 pm.

However, when the members gathered for the elections at the CMC hall, Returning Officer Iswar Kumar Kandoo declared that the election will be postponed as MLC Veena Achaiah was not present for the election.

She had not received the notice for the election, he said.

This resulted in tension in the hall as the members from the BJP vented their ire against Ishwar Kumar Kandoo.

The BJP members alleged that the mistake was from the side of the officials who were deployed on election duty. This has resulted in the waste of everyone’s time.

The election should be conducted as scheduled, they demanded.

The SDPI and Congress members countered the BJP’s claim and said that the election cannot be held in the absence of a member who has a right to vote.

Finally, the returning officer cancelled the election process and walked out of the hall.

'Legal action'

MP Pratap Simha said that the returning officer has erred by making a one-sided decision.

The election process cannot be cancelled only because the notice was not issued to a member. The move by the returning officer will be challenged in the court, he added.

MLC Sunil Subramani M P also hinted towards legal action and said that appropriate action should be initiated against the officials concerned.

The postponement of the election is a grave mistake, he said.

Anitha Povaiah, a member from the BJP who submitted nominations for the post of CMC president, said that the elected members are blamed for the mistake committed by officials.

BJP has a clear majority. The negligence by the officials concerned and the postponement of the election is worth condemnation, she added.

Move by RO welcomed

Congress member Rajesh Yallappa said that the notice should have been issued to the member who had a voting right, in advance.

But, officials have erred by not issuing the election notice to the MLC from Congress, Veena Achaiah, he said.

Therefore, the Congress members urged the returning officer not to conduct the election as it would not be fair to conduct the process in the absence of an elected member who has a right to vote.

SDPI member Amin Mohisin too welcomed the move by the returning officer of postponing the election.

If the election was held in the absence of the MLC, it would have been illegal and one cannot deprive an elected member of her voting right, he added.