From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Sep 6: With the ruling Congress party in Karnataka assured of bagging of the post of Mayor in the ensuing elections for electing the first citizen and Deputy Mayor of the State capital city of Bengaluru after enlisting the support of JD(S) and independents, the opposition BJP has taken the complaint to Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala seeking his intervention.

The BJP, which ruled the civic body before the just concluded elections and emerged as the single largest party in the 198 member Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) by winning 100 seats, said it was shocking and totally undemocratic that the Congress party that was resoundingly defeated in the recently concluded BBMP Polls is making bid to wrest the control of Palike with support of Independents and Legislative Council Members from other Districts.

In a memorandum submitted to Governor, the BJP said the citizens of Bangalore gave a decisive mandate for BJP as 100 out of 198 candidates romped home.

In contrast, the Congress party could only win barely 76 seats with JD(S) and Independents winning 14 and 8 seats respectively.

The humiliating defeat suffered by the ruling Congress party was hard to digest for them. To regain the hold over BBMP administration it has resorted to prove its strength by including the legislative members of other district.

Classic example for derailing mandate

“This is a classic example for derailing the mandate. Ruling dispensation attempt to include Council Members of other District is truly baffling,’’ the BJP said.

In order to increase their strength the ruling Congress party in the State ensured that Raghu Achar who is elected from Chitradurga is included in the voters list taking advantage of a lacuna in the KMC Act.

Similarly, the Name of V S Ugrappa, MLC is also included in the city voters list only two days back.

Ugrappa had voted In the Gram Panchayat Election in July at Pavagada, theBJP said and pointed out that his name is yet to be deleted from the Pavagada Voters list so far.

The ruling party in the Stare has rounded up Independents and taken them to a Resort in the neighbouring Kerala. The voters of the Knowledge City are watching these ugly episodes engineered by the close confidants of Chief Minister helplessly, the BJP memorandum said.

The citizens of Bengaluru, who elected the party of their choice are hugely disappointed at the turn of events. The unabashed manner the mandate is being hijacked speaks volumes about the ruling party highhanded unethical behaviour, he said adding that the increase in the number of voters from 255 to 260 is a pointer to the blatant misuse of power from the congress government.

“We seek your kind intervention and direct the state government to delete those voters who are elected from the other districts and who are included in the voter list in the last one week to hold free and fair Mayor Election, ‘’ the BJP memorandum said adding: ``We also request you to nudge the government to accept the mandate of the people and stop all attempts to cobble up the majority using dubious means.’’

Minister accuses BJP of “horse-trading’’

Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Transport Minister B Ramalinga Reddy, who is also the Bengaluru district in-charge minister, has alleged that the senior leaders of BJP were continuing their attempts to indulge in “horse-trading” and wooing the Congress councillors to grab the BBMP through “unethical means.”

Reddy chaired a meeting of the newly elected councillors’ at the party office and told them not to get lured by the BJP leaders’ false promises.

He said the Congress would expose the BJP’s tactics of wooing its councilors at an appropriate time.

The minister said the party has not yet decided on shifting councilors to private resorts or hotels in the city on the eve of elections to the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor in the BBMP Council on September 11.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara have called a meeting of all 76 councilors on Monday.

A few workers of the Congress staged a protest in front of actor and BJP MLC Jaggesh for inclusion of his name in the voters’ list in Bengaluru, which would enable him to cast vote during the BBMP Council election to the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor.

The Congress alleged that Jaggesh has also enrolled his name in the Turuvakere constituency in Tumakuru district and demanded removal of his name in the electoral list in the city.