From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 4: First was the turn of JD(S) to move its newly elected Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Corporators and friendly independents to Kerala to prevent poaching by the opposition BJP, which is crying hoarse at being denied the opportunity of ruling the civic body despite emerging as the single largest party.
Now the Congress party, which managed to win over the support of the JD(S) and most of the independents to get its candidate elected as the Mayor of Bengaluru in the Mayoral elections scheduled for September 11, has taken a leaf out of the JD(S) book and decided to shift all its 76 Corporators to resorts to prevent horse-trading attempts by the rival BJP.
The ruling party in the State has decided to shift its all 76 councillors to resorts or hotels in the city on the eve of elections to the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor in the BBMP Council, said the Congress MLA S T Somashekar.
"We will shift our councillors to resorts or hotels in the city. The BJP leaders have already started making telephone calls to our 4 to 5 councillors and offering crores of rupees to resign to their seats to ensure bi-elections," said Somashekar, MLA representing Yeshwanthpur constituency in the City.
The BJP leaders contacted a Congress councillor R Padmavathi Amarnath of Yelahanka in the City. She had defeated VanishriVishwanath, wife of S R Vishwanath, BJP MLA from Yelahanka constituency.
BJP leader R Ashok contacted Padmavathi and had reportedly offered payment of Rs 2.5 crore if she resign to membership of the BBMP Council, the MLA claimed.
Padmavathi had quit the BJP a few years ago and joined the Congress.
The MLA said councillors would be divided parliamentary constituency-wise and shifted to different hotels in the city before elections to the BBMP Council chiefs.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State Congress president Dr G Parameshwara have also told City MLAs to execute the plan to prevent horse-trading of the party’s councillors, Somasheskar said.
To prevent wooing of councillors by the BJP, the JD(S) has already taken 14 councillors to a resort in Kerala.