Somanna’s protege prevails over ex-minister Ashoka’s nominee with a little help from Ananth Kumar
Bangalore got its new Mayor in Moodalapalya corporator N Shanthakumari on Friday. Her appointment to the top post in Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) for a short span of seven months is a kind of return gift from Union Chemical and Fertiliser Minister Ananth Kumar to BJP leader V Somanna for the latter’s efforts to get the former elected as Bangalore south MP in a prestigious battle with Nandan Nilekani. Shanthakumari is a protege of Somanna, who pipped former Minister R Ashoka’s candidate, B R Nanjundappa, with the help of Ananth Kumar who had the final say in the selection.
Immediately after taking office, the new Mayor listed her priorities. “I want to make Bangalore free from garbage by disposing them of scientifically. I will also take initiatives to preserve its ‘Garden City’ tag. Priority will be given for tree plantation and maintenance of parks. This apart, construction of underpasses will be taken up to ease traffic congestion.”
Shanthakumari’s appointment is crucial for Somanna and Kumar both for future elections. The Kuruba community, to which Shanthakumari belongs, has considerable presence in Vijayanagar Govindaraj Nagar assembly constituencies overlapped by the Moodalapalya ward represented by the Mayor-elect.
Former minister R Ashoka, who had a say in the selection of four previous Mayors by the BJP, seems to be the most disappointed person with his candidate, Nanjundappa, a Vokkaliga, not getting the post despite being a senior corporator who has won four times in the past.
FOLLOWED SOMANNA TO 3 PARTIES
Shanthakumari’s selection also brings into light two other interesting developments. During the last five years, five BJP Mayors were selected, but none of them were from the Vokkaliga community. S K Nataraj, who was first to occupy the Mayor’s post in this council’s term, belonged to the Reddy-Vokkaliga community. It is unprecedented for the Vokkaliga community to be deprived of the Bangalore Mayor’s post continuously for over five years. At one point of time, before the reservation rule was applied to local bodies, community members routinely occupied the Mayor’s post. Even after the reservation rule came into effect, one or two Vokkaligas used to get their turns at the helm during every five-year term of the council. But not this time.
Shanthakumari was first elected to the council in 1995 as an independent candidate. She had then defeated a strong supporter of Somanna, who was then with the JD (S). Since then Somanna and Shanthakumari found common cause, and she was considered his camp follower. Later she followed Somanna to the Congress and got elected on that party’s ticket from the same ward. When Somanna joined BJP during Yeddyurappa’s chief ministerial tenure, Shanthakumari too joined the saffron party and won for the third consecutive time.
Though Shanthakumari had once held the Deputy Mayor post when she was with the Congress, Somanna had promised her that she will be made Mayor once. Somanna kept his promise and now she has become the second woman to have occupied both the Mayor’s and Deputy Mayor’s offices after Prema Cariappa.
RANGANNA IS DY MAYOR
There was speculation that if Shanthakumari was made the Mayor, then the Deputy Mayor’s post would go to the city’s dominant Vokkaliga community. That came true when Ranganna was named to the post. Former minister and Rajaji Nagar MLA S Suresh Kumar demanded the post for Ranganna who was initially considered a dark horse. On Friday morning he was called and told to take charge.
