Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 28: The post of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) mayor has been earmarked for general category again this year. It is said that within the BJP, brisk activities are going on behind the scenes to finalise the name of the next mayor of the city.

As the BJP has 44 corporators out of 60 in the city, there is no doubt that the BJP candidate will come out victorious. In the first two tenures of this term, Diwakar Pandeshwar and Premananda Shetty had got elected as the mayor respectively. Now Premananda Shetty has to make room for the new incumbent.

Mangaluru City Corporation (file photo)

There is a strong pitch to allocate the post of the mayor to a candidate from the city north constituency this time. Out of 22 wards in north assembly constituency, BJP corporators were elected from 20 wards. Sources say that Kiran Kodikal representing Bangrakulur ward is in the forefront of candidates under consideration to become the next mayor.

There is general acceptance that the mayor this time should be a strong leader as the next year is election year. Many believe that BJP district general secretary and veteran BJP leader, Sudhir Shetty, should be chosen as the next mayor.

The party has discussed the issue of next mayoral candidate a couple of times. A meeting is likely to be held in the presence of the MLAs to finalize the name of the candidate and the party is likely to announce the name on March 1 night of March 2 morning.

The post of the deputy mayor is reserved for lady candidate from category A. The post of the deputy mayor may go to city south constituency. Poornima, a senior corporator, is likely to become the next deputy mayor, party sources say.