TNN 

Mangalore Feb 23: The Bantwal Town Municipality elections went topsy-turvy when Congress councillor Vasanthi Gangadhar sprang a surprise on the party by voting to prop up BJP candidate Yashodha as president, during the election held on Wednesday.

The DK district Congress promptly suspended her from the party and will also demand her suspension from the Bantwal municipality. Any action against her will not affect the status of the Council as it can continue with the elected president and vice-president for six months.

Speaking to The Times of India, District Congress president and former Bantwal MLA Ramanath Rai said he had asked the Panemangalore Block president to suspend Vasanthi as she had violated the whip. “We had issued a whip which Vasanthi has violated, and thus, we will take disciplinary action against her,” he said. Panemangalore Block president Padmanabh Rai said he had sent a letter of suspension on Thursday.

Mohammed Masood and former Mangalore mayor Shashidhar Hegde had come as observers for the election, and a whip was issued with the signature of the district president. As she violated it, we have to suspend her and also demand her suspension from the municipality, and hold fresh elections for the ward, he said.

The Bantwal TMC has 23 councillors. It also has MPs D V Sadananda Gowda, Manorama Madhwaraj (both BJP) and B Janardhan Poojary (Cong) as its members, thus bringing the total to 26. A simple majority is 14.

It was expected that the Congress and Muslim League would form the administration, as Congress has 11 councillors and Muslim League two. With Poojary's vote, it would add up to the required 14. No one expected BJP with 10 councillors and two MPs (total 12 votes) to form the administration.

But with all the happenings, things turned around.

Vasanthi Gangadhar of the Congress supported the BJP, thus bringing the votes of the Congress down to 13. So there was a tie, with the BJP also getting 13 votes.

The presidential candidate from Congress was Swarnalatha S Malli (Congress) and vice-president was Mohammed Iqbal (Muslim League). BJP fielded Yashodha and B Dinesh Bhandary for the posts of president and vicepresident respectively.

The presiding officer then drew lots with the names of the candidates. The lot was taken as per Rule 8 (6) of the Karnataka Municipality election rules of Presidents and Vice Presidents-1965.

Yashodha's name was picked for the president's post and Mohammed Iqbal's name for vice-president's post.

According to sources, Vasanthi was angry with the party leaders as she was not selected as the presidential candidate. Within the party, Vasanthi had the support of five councillors, and Swarnalatha S Malli had the support of six councillors, so the party decided to field Swarnalatha as candidate.

Poojary twist

The term of Janardhan Poojary as Rajya Sabha member will come to an end on April 8, 2008.

He can be re-elected only when the state government is formed, as MLAs have to elect him. Thus, if the Congress succeeds in suspending Vasanthi from the municipality, they have to win the ward in the next byeelection, as only then their strength will be 13 votes as against the BJP's 12 votes.