The Hindu               05.09.2013

Sathyanarayana, Indira elected unopposed Mayor, Deputy Mayor

There were no surprises as Basavanagudi councillor B.S.
Sathyanarayana and Byatarayanapura councillor Indira were unanimously
elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor on Wednesday.

The
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the Ruling Party in the Bruhat
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), announced on Wednesday morning that
only Mr. Sathyanarayana would file his nomination papers for the Mayor’s
post, reserved for the general category.

Sources said that the party had also issued a whip to ensure that the four-time councillor is elected unopposed.

The
Deputy Mayor’s post was reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (woman)
category and as the only councillor in the BBMP council belonging to
that category, Ms. Indira’s election was also not contested.

The
election proceedings, conducted by Regional Commissioner Gauvrav Gupta,
commenced at around 1.15 p.m. Mr. Sathyanarayana, who had filed two
nominations, was declared Mayor at around 1.30 p.m. Ms. Indira was
declared elected at around 1.45 p.m. Soon after, the councillors made a
beeline to the podium to congratulate the newly elected First Citizen
and his deputy.

The election to the 12 Standing Committees was also scheduled on Wednesday.

However,
soon after the election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the councillors
exited the council. The Regional Commissioner adjourned the meeting for
30 minutes. After the meeting resumed, he postponed the election due to
lack of quorum.

BJP sources said that it had already
been decided to postpone the election to the 12 standing committees. The
election will now be held only after the city in-charge Minister
Ramalinga Reddy returns to the city from his foreign jaunt.