The long wait for the newly-elected council members of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) to take the oath of office and also elect a mayor and deputy mayor is finally coming to an end.
It has been nine months since results of the elections to the municipal corporation were announced. However, litigation had prevented the council members from taking oath as members of the council. But now, the Regional Commissioner of Belagavi has notified the date of the mayoral polls.
As per the notification issued by the Regional Commissioner (dated May 10), elections for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor are scheduled to take place on May 28. The mayor’s post has been reserved for General Category and that of Deputy Mayor for General (Woman).
82-member council
This is the first time elections were held after denotification of various wards of the Hubballi-Dharwad municipal corporation. The number of wards has increased from 67 to 82.
In the 82-member council, BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 39 members followed by Congress with 33 members, AIMIM has three members and JD(S) has one member. Six independent candidates make up the rest of the council. One of the BJP rebel candidates, who won as an independent, has joined the BJP, taking the party’s strength to 40.
The ruling party BJP is comfortably positioned to stake claim to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor, as it requires support of 42 members to win the elections. With five independents in the council, it is not difficult for BJP to gain a simple majority. As the votes of MLAs, MLCs and MP also count in the elections, BJP is comfortably positioned. On the other hand, Congress has got just one MLA in addition to its councillors.
If Congress manages to rope in the remaining five independents, three members of AIMIM and JD(S), their tally will be 42. Along with its lone MLA, the number will go up to 43.
But, BJP has three MLAs, two MLCs and one MP, which will take its tally to 46. Moreover, Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, whose term ends on June 14 and who has already been welcomed into the BJP, in all probability will vote for the BJP.
The general rule is that whoever manages to get 50% plus one vote among those present during the polling will be declared the winner.
MLAs and MP of the ruling party are lobbying to secure the posts of mayor and deputy mayor for their aides.
