BJP's Sunanda Palanetra elected Mysuru mayor

Mysuru: BJP corporator Sunanda Palanetra was elected mayor of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) on Wednesday with outside support from JDS.

Though BJP has no majority in the 72-member corporation, the failed alliance between JDS and Congress paved the way for Sunanda's election. Sunanda secured 26 votes while Congress candidate Shantha Kumari got 22.

The election was necessitated following annulment of Rukmini Madegowda's election by the Karnataka High Court. During last two terms the Congress and JDS had an alliance and shared the mayoral post. JDS MLA Sa Ra Mahesh and district minister S T Somashekar held a meeting to strike a deal but could not succeed. On Tuesday Mahesh said the party corporators would take neutral stand and never join hands with BJP.

However, JDS gave outside support to the BJP candidate. Soon after the election, Congress corporators walked out raising slogans accusing JDS of supporting the communal party while professing secular ideology.

The JDS corporators alleged that the Congress' greed for top post while holding deputy mayor position was the reason for alliance failure. BJP workers celebrated the 'historic' victory by bursting crackers. Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai and State BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel congratulated the newly-elected mayor Sunanda Palanetra.

Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in a tweet said that the victory of BJP candidate is a sign of growing strength of the party in Mysuru. Incidentally Sunanda is a relative of BSY. During last election Yeddyurappa declared that Sunanda would be made mayor if BJP came to power.

Speaking to reporters, Sunanda said that she would give priority to development of the city. She said she contested five times in MCC elections and won three rimes. She is the 35th mayor of Mysuru.