Haveri: The Congress party is preparing to take legal action against six of its councillors in the Haveri Municipal Council after they failed to attend an election meeting, leading to a significant setback for the party.
Despite holding a clear majority in the 31-member council with 15 councillors, the absence of these members allowed BJP-backed independent candidates to secure the positions of president and vice president in the election held two days ago.
The Congress had held both positions in the previous election. However, the tables turned two days ago when the BJP, with its nine councillors, strategically supported independent members, leading to their victory. The failure of six Congress councillors to attend the election meeting was seen as a critical blow to the party’s dominance in the council.
“We had issued a whip instructing all our councillors to vote for our candidate. However, six of our members were not at their homes to receive the whip, so we pasted it on their doors. Despite this, they did not attend the meeting. We will now pursue legal action for their disqualification,” Haveri District Congress Committee president Sanjeev Neeralagi told Deccan Chronicle.
Neeralagi further explained that while the BJP did not directly come to power in the municipality, they backed independent candidates.
"These same independents had supported Congress in the last election," he noted.
The outcome has brought a victory for the BJP and smiles to the face of former Chief Minister and current Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai who assured comprehensive development of the city.
