BJP party workers celebrate the victory in Bengaluru civic polls on August 25, 2015. The party would seem to have got the numbers, but votes of MLAs, MLCs and nominated legislators also count when electing the Mayor.
Ahead of the election for the post of Bengaluru Mayor this Friday, numbers are being calculated to see if the ruling party in the state, the Congress, can combine with the Janata Dal (Secular) to defeat the BJP which won more seats in the corporation.
After allegations of horse-trading, Congress corporators have been sent off to resorts in Kodagu. And the city - in news for its poor civic infrastructure - continues to wait for the corporation to get down to what is its main business - creating a clean and live-able city.
The BJP would seem to have got the numbers, winning 100 of 198 seats. But votes of MLAs, MLCs and nominated legislators also count when electing the Mayor. And with the Congress with 76 seats and the JD(S) with 14 seats joining hands, things got a bit more complicated.
BJP spokesperson, S Prakash told NDTV, "The mayor will be from the BJP only. The Congress is attempting to rule the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) through the back door. People have rejected them."
BJP members have approached the High Court against the inclusion of some Congress names in the voters' list saying they are outsiders to Bengaluru. That party in turn is accused by other parties of indulging in "Operation Kamala" - the name given to the alleged purchasing of elected opposition MLAs back in 2008 to form the state government. The Congress has sent its corporators to resorts in Kodagu, away from temptation.
Dinesh Gundu Rao, a minister with the Congress, said, "Nobody got a clear mandate but the BJP people are trying to engineer defections. They are pressuring our corporators."
Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Deve Gowda insisted that the BJP had not got a clear mandate. "Don't try to drag that the BJP has got full mandate. Had they got 105 seats, it would have been a different issue. They are also seeking mandate through 'Operation Kamala', like what happened in 2008, " he said.
Once all the political dust has settled and a new Mayor is elected, will the many civic challenges of the city be dealt with? For now, at least, it seems the focus is firmly elsewhere. The new Mayor and his team will need to get down to business right away.