Congress to mark Mayoral candidate, Mar 10,today

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, March 10, 2016 :  The mayoral elections are  scheduled on Mar 11, Friday, Congress leaders and party councillors will meet here Mar 10 today, to select its candidate for the Mayor’s post.  The post is reserved for the general category, serious parleys are on in the Congress and among party councillors.

According to sources in the Congress, senior most councillor Harinath, who has been elected to the council for a fifth term, and three-time councillor Bhaskar Moily, from Padavu East ward, are the front runners.

Councillor Harinath entered the council from Marakada ward since the inception of the council in 1984. Since then, he contested six elections to the council from the ward and won five times. Earlier he had been elected to the erstwhile Marakada Gram Panchayat as a member.

Sources said that when Ramesh Kotian became the Mayor for the second time (1999-2000) from the Congress, Mr. Harinath too had filed nomination to contest for the post. But party leaders persuaded him to withdraw his nomination papers and subsequently he was made chairman of the standing committee for Taxation, Finance and Appeals.

Two Congress leaders, who are now Ministers from the district, reportedly promised him then that he would be given a chance next time.

Now also  councillor Harinath is the chairman of the same committee.  Councillor Moily is a close relative of the former Union Minister and former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily.   Sources said that there was also demand that a Muslim councillor should be elected as Mayor.

They said that party leaders and councillors would meet in the afternoon on Thursday. As the post of Deputy Mayor is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (woman) category, the Congress has no candidate. But the BJP has a candidate and the party is likely to field Sumithra Kariya, councillor from Surathkal East ward (No. 2), to the post.