Mangalore: Mayoral Elections - BJP Nomination Rejected, Congress Wins by Default

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Update: 2 pm

Mangalore, Mar 7: In her first interaction with the media after being made city mayor in a dramatic turn of events, Gulzar Banu said that the BJP had so far given only promises regarding 24-hour water supply without taking any action. "But I will ensure that the citizens get water round the clock," she said.

She brushed aside talks of no-confidence motion against her and said that there is no provision for such a move.

Gulzar Banu was elected as corporator of Katipalla twice. She discontinued studies after class 8 and then married Shamshuddin. The couple have ten children, of which four are married.

Earlier News

In a dramatic and agonizing development for the ruling BJP, the nomination papers filed by its lone candidate, Roopa D Bangera, for the post of the mayor, were not found in order. The returning officer observed that she failed to submit her caste certificate, a requirement to verify her eligibility criteria, in the prescribed format, within the time prescribed today.

The BJP candidate was given ten minutes to set right the anomaly. When she sought to get the help of the lawyer, the Congress corporators including former mayor, Shashidhar Hegde, raised technical objections. BJP had not put up any dummy candidate.

As such, Congress nominee Gulzar Banu, corporator from Katipalla, has been declared elected unopposed. The BJP, which was in a shock, demanded holding the election, but the returning officer M V Jayanti, divisional commissioner, Mysore, said that there is no provision to hold the election as only one candidate was in the fray.

The BJP, which faced loss of face, had to send back the teams of musical instrumentalists, who had been summoned to celebrate its success. The mood in the party circles is somber, in view of the fact that it had several eligible persons for the post, but lost the chance because of a small mistake.

Gulzar Banu is the 26th mayor of the city corporation, and the first woman from the Muslim community to bag this post. She happens to be the sixth lady mayor of the city corporation. Her predecessors are, Eunice Britto, the first woman mayor of the city, who was elected in 1993, Hilda Alva, Sundari, Vijaya Arun, and Rajani Dugganna. 

There is information that some BJP activists, who had assembled at Kadri to celebrate the election of the new mayor, burst crackers, without realizing that the party candidate could not contest the election. The players of musical instruments, who were returning, were invited back by Congressmen as a need for them arose, albeit unexpectedly.

Mangalore: BJP Bags Post of Deputy Mayor

Mangalore, Mar 7: While the election for the post of the mayor held today came up with shocking result, the election of the deputy mayor proved to be on the expected lines.

Amitakala, BJP corporator nominated by the party, came out victorious in the election, by securing 35 votes. Congress candidate, Appi, could muster only 21 votes. Hence, Amitakala was declared elected by the returning officer.

The terms of the new mayor and deputy mayor will be valid from March 7, 2012 to February 20, 2013.

In all probability, BJP, which suffered a loss of face in the mayoral election, will be studying its prospects of making a comeback by moving no-confidence resolution against the mayor. There is no doubt that it will be examining subtleties of law governing elections to local bodies to wrest the power back. Because, this being the final year of the present five-year term of the city corporation, its presence at the helm is very much necessary before the elections are held next year.