After two independent corporators switched loyalty, the Congress on Thursday moved five corporators to a Bengaluru resort ahead of the Mayoral polls of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
The Congress appointed two MLAs - ST Somashekhar and Munirathna - to prevent further erosion of its support base.
The polling for the election to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor will be held today. The election was necessitated after the terms of Sampath Raj and Padmavathi Narasimhamurthy as the Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively ended on Thursday.
After the two independent corporators switched sides, the Congress levelled allegations of poaching on the BJP.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundurao said on Thursday that the Congress was still confident that the two corporators would support its candidate.
Participated in a meeting of elected representatives from Bengaluru in view of the Mayoral elections being held on September 28. All Independent candidates have assured their support to the Congress-JD(S) combine. @INCKarnataka pic.twitter.com/mn4HtFWJmG
- KPCC President (@KPCCPresident) September 27, 2018
"We have with us all the independent corporators except for the two who are learnt to have gone to the rival side. We are confident that they will also come back," Mr Somashekhar told PTI.
The Congress and JDS came together for the polls and had the support of seven independent corporators.
The mayor and deputy mayors are elected by an electoral college comprising corporators, and also lawmaker, who are voters in the city.
The total votes required for a win is 130 out of the total 259. In the electoral college, BJP has 123 votes, Congress 106 votes, and JD(S) has 22 votes. There are eight independents.
With inputs from agencies
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