Daijiworld Media Network - Belgaum (SP)

Belgaum, Apr 1: In a record of sorts, created on the heels of the recent incidents in which Marati-speaking people had created disturbances for not allowing them to hold the 'Melava’ in the city and another incident in which an effort was made to replace the national flag fluttering over the Corporation building with the saffron flag, when the posts of the mayor and deputy mayor of the City Corporation went to Kannadigas in this border town on Monday March 30.

Yallappa Sidaraya Kurubar was elected the mayor while Jyoti Rajashekhar Bhavikatti got elected as the deputy mayor at the election held on Monday. Designs of Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti(MES), which fought the election tooth and nail, to wrest the posts, were defeated.

Out of the 57 corporators of the Corporation, a MP and four MLAs, Kurubar secured 34 votes. Kannadiga candidate Jyoti Bhavikatti was pitted directly against Aruna Kutre of the MES. Jyoti mustered 34 votes as against 27 secured by Aruna.

MP Suresh Angadi, MLAs Abhay Patil, Sanjay Patil, Phiroze Khimajibhai and Satish Jarkiholi caste their votes in favour of the Kannadiga candidates. With this, Angadi sought to clear his name from the recent flag hoisting controversy, which had earned him the anti-Kannadiga tag.