Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP) 

Mangaluru, Aug 28: The state high court (HC), through a direction issued to the state election commission (SEC), asked it to complete the entire election process relating to the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) here before October 31 and see that the new administration takes over before November 15. 

The high court passed this order after hearing a public interest litigation filed in the high court by Abdul Farooq and others from the city. 

The petitioners had complained that the SEC had not conducted election to the city corporation even though the division bench of the high court had ruled that the reservation criterion fixed by the government this time is in conformity with rules and norms. They contended that the term of the administrative officer posted to the corporation for a period of six months expires next month and that there were no stay orders against holding the election. 

Sources said that the high court, after hearing the arguments, directed the SEC to ensure that the election process is completed and new administration takes over before November 15. 

When the final reservation criterion for the city corporation was published by the urban development department when the coalition government was in power, some people had approached the HC, complaining that the rotation system had not been followed properly. The single judge bench of the HC had asked the government to submit fresh reservation list. The government had gone on appeal against this order. After hearing the writ petition, the division bench had dismissed it on May 31. Some others had filed application in the high court seeking to review this decision, which is pending in the HC. 

Since the city corporation was formed in 1984, Congress had won successive elections except in 2007 when the BJP rose to power by winning 35 out of 60 wards. In 2013, the Congress had risen to power and BJP had got only 20 seats. The previous term of the city corporation council had ended on March 7 this year.