Daijiworld Media Network - Mysuru (SP)

Mysuru, May 8: In the home turf of chief minister, Siddaramaiah, here, it was a reverse of what happened in Shivamogga zilla panchayat where BJP failed to capitalize on its numbers, falling short of majority by a single seat, thereby losing the posts of the president and his deputy to Congress and JDS combine.

Although Congress emerged as biggest party in the zilla panchayat election here, JDS-BJP combine succeeded in reaching an understanding and defeating Congress. While the zilla panchayat here got its first Muslim president in the form of Naeema Sultana of the JDS, the post of the vice president went to Kayyamballi G Nataraj of the BJP at the election held on Saturday May 7.

In the 49-member zilla panchayat, Congress had emerged as biggest party with 22 seats. JDS with 18 members, BJP with 8, and an independent make up the rest of the strength. Naeema Sultana registered victory by getting 27 votes, defeating Jayamma of Congress, who could muster only 22 votes. In the election held to the post of the vice president, Nataraj got 27 votes as against 22 scored by Srikrishna of Congress. The lone independent member of the zilla panchayat supported JDS-BJP alliance.

After entering into an understanding to keep Congress away from power, members of JDS and BJP were lodged in a resort as BJP and JDS were wary of efforts being made by Congress to woo their members. On Saturday, these members directly arrived at the zilla panchayat from the resort, and took part in the election process. Although Congress tried its best to see that the CM does not cut a sorry figure at his home constituency, its efforts did not yield results.

Naeema is the wife of a fish merchant, Nazeer Ahmed, who takes ponds in H D Kote taluk on contract basis to catch fish and trade them. Nazeer's mother had once got elected as an independent candidate of H D Kote town panchayat in the past. Naeema had won twice in the town panchayat election and had functioned as president once and as vice president once. This time, she fought from Annur zilla panchayat constituency and emerged victorious.