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Ahead of mayoral polls, Cong moves 21 councillors to resort
They are expected to return to Ballari on Friday, a day ahead of the elections for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor.
Fearing poaching from the rivals, Congress has moved as many as 21 councillors to a resort ahead of the mayoral elections in north Karnataka’s Ballari.
Senior Congress leaders said that there are fears of poaching from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which failed to get a majority in the polls.
In the 39-ward city municipal corporation, the Congress managed to secure victory in 34 seats and five wards were won by independent candidates. While the Congress claims that the five independent counsellors — Congress workers who contested as independents after they were denied tickets — are with them, there are fears of them joining hands with the BJP. District Congress Committee president Mohammad Rafeeq told the media that the counsellors are being taken to Bengaluru as per the direction of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar.
“As per directions from KPCC president, we are sending our party councillors to Bengaluru. The next course of action will be decided by the party leadership,” Rafeeq said.
According to Congress leaders, 21 councillors from the party and the five independent candidates are currently at the Goldfinch Retreat on the outskirts of Bengaluru. They are expected to return to Ballari on Friday, a day ahead of the elections for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. The post of the mayor and deputy mayor is reserved for general woman and general categories, respectively.
A senior Congress leader said that attempts have been made by the BJP leaders to woo their party workers. “We have spoken with the five independent candidates, who were previously with Congress and they are supporting the party. But the BJP is desperate, and they are calling our workers. They are offering them money and residential plots,” one of the counsellors said, pleading anonymity.
The BJP has however denied these allegations. A senior BJP leader from Ballari who didn’t want to be named said that the independent candidates had contacted them, and the Congress has taken them to the resort and taken their phone away.
“The Congress workers were denied tickets by the party and after they won, now the Congress is taking them away. They have rebelled against the party, and they want to join us (the BJP). We will take up the matter with the authorities,” the leader said.
