Mayoral polls: Ashok holds the key
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With just three days left for the mayoral polls, BJP bigwigs who wield influence in the IT City, are pulling the strings to make sure their favourite nominee makes it to the post. City legislators belonging to BJP are slated to meet on Tuesday to select the mayoral candidate who will be sworn in on April 27 after the election on Thursday. The poll is expected to be a formality as the BJP enjoys a majority in the BBMP council
The fact that the post has been reserved for the 2A category comprising the Kuruba, Tigala and Devanga communities, limits the contest to three Kuruba contenders and Mr Basavaraju, the lone contender from the Tigala community. Sources said that with different groups exerting pressure, it will be left to home and transport minister R. Ashok, to get them to agree to a common choice. Mr Ashok who is now in Madikeri, is expected to return to the city Tuesday morning.
There were as many as ten contenders for the post which has now been reduced to four. They are Banashankari Temple corporator Basavaraju, Kathriguppe corporator Venkatesh Murthy, Shakambarinagar corporator Somashekhar and Ramamurthynagar corporator Revanna.
Basavaraju, who was elected to BBMP in the by-election following the murder of corporator Diwan Ali, enjoys the support of Mr Ashok as well as most Bengaluru city MLAs who are aligned with the home minister. Mr Somashekhar enjoys the support of city MLAs like Jayanagar MLA Vijay Kumar and housing minister V. Somanna who feel he will be able to contribute better to the city’s development.
Mr Somanna has another reason for backing Mr Somashekhar, a Kuruba, as the Govindrajnagar Assembly constituency from where he contested a bypoll and lost, has a good number of people from the community. Kurubas are the third largest vote bank in Bengaluru with as many as 17 of them in the BBMP council. Mr Somanna had earlier tried in vain to make Govindarajnagar corporator Shantha-kumari the mayor. Sources said Mr Ashok will have a difficult time deciding between Mr Basavaraju and Mr Somashekhar.
Others like Kathriguppe corporator Venkatesh Murthy and Ramamurthynagar corporator Revanna are trying their best to stay afloat in the race. Both have approached BJP state president K.S. Eshwarappa, who is lobbying in their favour. Sources said Venkatesh Murthy has gone a step ahead and approached former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa, who has half heartedly agreed to support him.
For the Kurubas, the mayoral post has become a matter of prestige. During the last election, Mr Somashekhar was offered the deputy mayor post. But Mr Eshwarappa did not want any Kuruba corporator to accept the post then as they stood a good chance of securing the mayor’s post in 2012. “There is a sharp polarization on caste lines. The question is whether the final choice will be a Kuruba or not,’’ the sources added.
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