Mahabala Maarla is new Mayor of Mangalore - Kavitha deputy
Pics: Brijesh Garodi / Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (BG/SP)
Updated
Mangalore, Mar 13: Congress corporator Mahabala Maarla has won the mayoral elections held here on Thursday March 13, defeating Tilak Raj of BJP. Mahabala is the corporator of ward 22 Kadri Padavu.
Out of the 60 corporators and 2 MLAs, 37 voted in favour of Mahabala Maarla while 20 rejected. Five were neutral.
Out of 62, 37 rejected Tilak Raj while five were neutral.
With this, Mahabala Maarla was officially declared the mayor of Mangalore. His term will end on March 12, 2015.
For the post of deputy mayor, Congress candidate Kavitha of Hoigebazar ward 57 was nominated by Mahabala Maarla and seconded by Pratibha Kulai, while BJP candidate Poornima was nominated by Sudhir Shetty and seconded by K Rajesh.
Kavitha too won the election garnering 37 votes in her favour and 20 against, while five remained neutral. As in the case of Tilak Raj, 37 rejected Poornima and 20 voted for her, while five were neutral.
Kavitha was hence officially declared the deputy mayor of Mangalore city corporation.
After the elections for the top two posts, different committees were formed. Rajendra, Roopa D Bangera, Jacintha Vijay Alfred, Radhakrishna, Asha D'Silva, K Rajesh and Shailaja formed the finance and taxation committee. Though Jayanthi Achar too gave her application, she withdrew at the last moment.
The education and health committee was formed by Sudhir Shetty, Sumitra, Ashok Shetty, Appi, B Prakash, Basheer and Akhila Alva.
The development committee members are Ganesh Hosabettu, Naveenchandra, Ashok Kumar, A C Vinayraj, Praveenchandra Alva, Pratibha Kulai and Kavitha Sanil.
The accounts committee was formed by Vijaykumar, Surendra, Sabitha Misquith, Purushotham Chitrapura, K Zubeida, Rathikala and Latha Salian.
Addressing reporters after the election, new mayor Mahabala Maarla thanked his party leaders and workers and said, "My party leaders and members gave me an opportunity to contest for mayor's post and because of them I have won. As the Lok Sabha elections have already been declared and the model code of conduct is in force, I do not want to make promises or give any statements. But I can assure that we will for work hard to fulfil the basic necessities of people and live up to the promises our party (Congress) had made. I will strive hard to ensure that MCC becomes the best city corporation."
The post of mayor had been lying vacant for a year, ever since the elections for the urban local bodies took place in March 2013. Though the mayoral election was initially supposed to be held in September 2013, corporator Azeez Kudroli had challenged the government's roster that reserved the mayor's post for a woman from general category. The high court stayed the reservation and later ruled that the election to the mayor's post could be contested by anyone from the general category and not by women candidates alone.
Earlier Report
Congress has come out with the names of its candidates for the mayoral election of the city being held here on Thursday March 13.
Three-time councilor, Mahabala Maarla, representing Kadri Padavu ward has bagged the nod of the party to contest to the post of the mayor. Kavitha Hoigebazar has been chosen to contest for the post of the deputy mayor. Mahabala's name was nominated by Radhakrishna and seconded by K Mohammed.
Opposition BJP will be fielding Tilak Raj and Poornima for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor respectively, it is learnt. Thilak Raj's name was nominated by Ganesh Hosabettu and seconded by Vijaykumar Shetty.
Those chosen for the seats of chairpersons of standing committees are, Ashok D K (Works committee), Jacintha Alfred (finance committee), Ashok Shetty (health committee), Purushottam Chitrapura,(accounts committee), and Shashidhar Hegde( chief whip). BJP has elected Premananda Shetty as the opposition leader.
All the 60 corporators took oath before the election process began. Among them, Alape ward corporator Vijaykumar Shetty took the oath in Tulu.