Congress again wins Bantwal TMC president’s office with support of SDPI

The total member strength of the council was reduced to 26 from 27 after a Congress member, Gangadhara Poojary, resigned during the Lok Sabha elections. Congress and the BJP had 11 seats each in the council while the SDPI has four members.

Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Captain Brijesh Chowta has said that the Congress has bagged the office of president of Bantwal Town Municipal Council by joining hands with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

After the elections to the offices of president and vice-president were held on August 22, Capt. Chowta posted on X: “...By allying with the SDPI yet again, power hungry unscrupulous Congress has shown that it is in its DNA to always ally with forces against Bharat for their vested interests. The Congress has once again shown that their loyalties lie with anti-national forces. The SDPI, the political wing of the banned PFI organisation, is one whose activists have the blood of many sons of this soil on their hands. Truly shameful.”

The total member strength of the council was reduced to 26 from 27 after a Congress member, Gangadhara Poojary, resigned during the Lok Sabha elections. Congress and the BJP had 11 seats each in the council while the SDPI has four members.

In the elections conducted on August 22, the Congress candidate for the office of president Vasu Poojary Loretto got 15 votes with the support of SDPI (four votes) while the BJP got 13 votes, with the two additional votes coming from Bantwal BJP MLA U. Rajesh Naik and Capt. Chowta.

With the support of the Congress, Muneesh Ali Kelaginapete, a SDPI member, was elected to the office of vice-president.

The office of president was reserved for general category member while the office of vice-president was for Backward Class A category member.

The Congress and the SPDI were in alliance in the council earlier too while electing the president and vice-president.