Mangalore: Rajani Dugganna Sworn in Mayor as Lords Continue to Bless
By Rajesh S
Pics: Sphoorty Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SB)
Mangalore, Feb 26: Rajani Dugganna sworn in as mayor of Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) on Friday February 26 may be thanking lords, both in the heaven and party, for her luck. She is naturally considered the luckiest women corporators by her colleagues having got the blessings of the party leaders. However, the ‘lucky’ tag is accompanied by the resentment of other corporators. Rajendra, corporator from Dongarakery ward, was sworn in as deputy mayor
Corporator from Hosabettu ward, Rajani Dugganna is a senior woman amongst the corporators of ruling party in MCC and was the natural choice when the mayor’s post was reserved for lady from the general category. According to her colleagues, with the election to mayor’s post her streak of luck merely continues that began with chairing two MCC standing committees and appointment to the post of deputy mayor in last three years the BJP is in power in MCC pushing the longtime king in MCC Congress to opposition.
According to a woman corporator from BJP, who backed the candidature of corporator from Panjimogaru ward, Shanta R for the coveted post of mayor said that influential politics is working behind the selection of mayor. Rajani was always bestowed with influential posts after the BJP came to power, she says refusing to divulge her name in order to maintain good relations with party members.
District in-charge minister Krishna Palemar is the kingmaker as far as mayoral elections are concerned, says another woman corporator adding that due to political games by few vested interests he is pressed upon not to take a liberal and justifiable stand on the selection to the post. Seconding the opinion, a male corporator from the party, who supported R Shanta’s candidature, alleged that Palemar was blackmailed to arrive at the decision and observed that if that was not the case the key post would not have been bagged by a corporator from the Suratkal area to which the minister belongs.
His anger is the result of Rajani Duggannna bagging chairmanship of the finance committee in the first term, and then rising to the position of deputy mayor in the second term. Now she has bagged the post of mayor and it means without doubt that this is the handiwork of a powerful lobby as ruling party has no dearth of corporators who are capable, he said.
However, reliable sources in the party said that it had been almost confirmed that Shanta would become the mayor, but her dreams were shattered after the recent talks between the leaders that included Palemar. Further, the corporators, other than from the Suratkal area, were in the hope that the dominance of the area in the city politics will be lost with Shanta being elected the mayor, revealed sources. Nevertheless, once it was decided that Rajani Dugganna would bag mayoral post, R Shanta and Roopa D Bangera, corporator from Kadri north ward had to be content with chairmanship of the standing committees.
Though tag ‘lucky woman’ is attached with resentment to Rajani Dugganna, all in all none want to express resentment against the leaders or mayor and work together for the benefit of the party. According to sources in the BJP, if the resentment becomes apparent Palemar may have to face the music from the local members of the party, which would mar his chances of being selected to fight the next assembly elections. Thus the aspirants to the mayoral post observed silence, unwillingly despite Rajani Dugganna was elevated to the post of mayor with the backing of party high command in the region.