It was a day of negotiations, discontent, and protests at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). As a result, elections to the posts of chairperson of the 12 standing committees scheduled for Friday were put off.
The tone was set early in the day when the governing Congress decided to propose Byrasandra councillor N. Nagaraj as chairperson of the Standing Committee for Town Planning. Mr. Nagaraj, who is a BJP councillor on suspension, had reportedly helped Sowmya Reddy win the Assembly election from Jayanagar constituency. Sources said he had the support of Ms. Reddy’s father and BTM Layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy.
The Opposition BJP had issued a whip to all its members to vote in favour of Halsuru councillor Mamatha Saravana.
The BJP announced that it would field Laggere councillor Manjula Narayanaswamy, who is from the JD(S), for the post of chairperson of the Standing Committee for Social Justice, and BTM Layout councillor K. Devadas, also from the JD(S), for the Standing Committee for Ward Works. Ms. Narayanaswamy and Mr. Devadas, however, have reportedly been supporting the BJP , including during the mayoral election.
Agreement
According to sources, if the two had been elected, the Congress–JD(S) governing combine would have lost two committees. As per an agreement between the coalition partners, the Congress would get to make its councillors chairpersons of standing committees for Social Justice, Major Works, Markets, Appeals, and Accounts, while the JD(S) would get Taxation and Finance, Ward Works, Horticulture, and Education standing committees. It was planned that Independent candidates supporting the Congress–JD(S) alliance would be chosen to head Personnel and Administrative Reforms, and Health standing committees.
Mr. Ramalinga Reddy and Mahalakshmi Layout MLA Gopalaiah tried to convince both Mr. Devadas and Ms. Narayanaswamy to not contest the elections, but to no avail. With no consensus, the elections that were scheduled for 12 noon were delayed.
The BJP staged a protest in the council hall. When Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun, who was the election officer, asked them to return to their seats, they continued with their protest and raised slogans against the Congress and the JD(S). With the protest showing no sign of ending, Ms. Mallikarjun postponed the elections. They are likely to be held by the month-end.
A ‘jinxed’ Town Planning Committee
On December 5, election to the Town Planning Committee was mired in confusion. BJP members were unrelenting in their opposition until M. Chandrappa Reddy from Konena Agrahara, an Independent councillor who was chosen for the chairperson’s post by the Congress–JD(S) governing combine, withdrew his nomination. The discord can be traced to an alleged “breach of trust” ahead of the election to the Mayor’s post. Though Mr. Chandrappa Reddy had promised the BJP of his support, he later voted for the Congress, paving way for Jayanagar councillor Gangambike Mallikarjun to be elected as Mayor.
It was the same committee that derailed the elections of to the posts of chairpersons of standing committees on Friday.
She ‘assumed office’ before election
Even before being elected as chairperson of the Standing Committee for Taxation and Finance, Vrushabhavathy councillor Hemalatha Gopalaiah performed a puja and “assumed office” on Friday.
On Friday, the elections to none of the Standing Committees were held due to lack of consensus and protests by the opposition BJP.
