Belagavi, March 18: The race for the mayor and deputy mayor posts in the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) has intensified ahead of the election scheduled for Wednesday, with multiple contenders emerging within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
For more details : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/race-heats-up-for-belagavi-mayor-deputy-mayor-posts-ahead-of-poll-today/articleshow/129638291.cms
The mayor’s post, reserved for a general woman candidate, has attracted several aspirants including Veena Vijapure, Netravati Bhagwat, Preeti Kamakar, Savita Patil, Deepali Topagi, and Roopa Chikkaldinni. Among them, Preeti Kamakar is gaining significant attention, particularly amid pressure from party members to allocate the post to the Belagavi North constituency. However, the party has yet to finalize its candidate.
For the deputy mayor’s post, which falls under the general category, names such as Hanumanth Kongali, Nitin Jadhav, Santosh Pednekar, Raju Bhatkande, and Shreyas Nakadi are in the fray. Kongali and Pednekar are considered frontrunners from the North constituency. However, Kongali’s candidature has reportedly faced opposition from supporters of former MLA Anil Benake, citing his current role as leader of the ruling party.
All aspirants have submitted their names to BJP city unit president Geeta Sutar. Meanwhile, caste dynamics are playing a crucial role in the selection process. Lingayat leaders have demanded representation, pointing out that recent mayoral and deputy mayoral posts have been held by candidates from Maratha and other communities. There are also indications that efforts are underway to field a Maratha candidate for one of the posts.
With internal lobbying intensifying, the BJP faces the challenge of balancing regional and caste considerations while finalizing its candidates for the key civic posts.
Read also : Government Plans IT-BT and Semiconductor Parks in Belagavi
