Congress retains Kalaburagi mayor's post for 24th consecutive term

Congress councillor Ajmal Ahmed Gola won the Kalaburagi City Corporation mayoral election on Saturday, securing 35 votes in the 55-member civic body, comfortably above the 33-vote majority mark.

Gola, who represents Ward 21, defeated BJP candidate Gururaj Pattan, who polled 29 votes. In the parallel Deputy Mayor contest, Congress councillor Farhanaz Khusro Jahagirdar from Ward 20 also won with 35 votes, while BJP's Meghana Kalaskar received 29. The results give Congress its 24th consecutive term leading the urban local body.

Selection process involved party heavyweights

The Mayor's post had attracted keen interest within Congress ranks, with former Mayor Syed Ahmed and Ali Khan, brother of former Minister Rahim Khan, among those vying for the position alongside Gola. District in-charge Minister Priyank Kharge, MP Radhakrishna Doddamani, and MLAs Kaneez Fatima and Allamprabhu Patil held consultations with Congress councillors to arrive at a consensus candidate. The discussions helped the party present a united front at the polls.

Regional Commissioner Zaheera Naseem conducted the election, which had been rescheduled from its original August 7 date due to unforeseen circumstances. The civic poll drew attendance from several legislators, including Doddamani, Fatima, Patil, Basavaraj Mattimadu, and MLCs Jagadev Guttedar, B.G. Patil, Thippannappa Kamaknoor, and Chandrashekhar Patil Humnabad.

Despite their state-level alliance, BJP and JD(S) councillors failed to coordinate effectively during the corporation election. Both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts are now held by councillors from wards within the Kalaburagi North Assembly constituency.

New Mayor outlines civic priorities

After his election, Gola thanked the party leadership and fellow Congress councillors for their backing. He identified garbage disposal and drinking water supply as immediate priorities, along with road upgrades and strengthened property tax collection. The corporation will also identify encroachments on civic properties and act against violators, he said.

Source: The Hindu