Elections for the fourth term of the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) Mayor and Deputy Mayor are scheduled to be held on March 18, sparking intense political activity within the BJP, which currently holds a clear majority in the civic body. With the tenures of the present Mayor and Deputy Mayor ending on March 14, Belagavi Regional Commissioner K. M. Janaki has issued the election notification.
This year, the Mayor’s post has been reserved for a woman from the general category, while the Deputy Mayor’s post falls under the general category. Several women corporators from the Lingayat and Nekar (weaver) communities, who make up a significant portion of the elected members, are aspiring for the Mayor’s position.
Among those being discussed for the Mayor’s post are Deepali Topagi, Savita Patil, Preeti Kamkar, Reshma Kamkar and Veena Bijapur. For the Deputy Mayor’s position, Rajshekhar Dhoni, Santosh Padnekar and Nitin Jadhav are considered contenders.
Sources within political circles said discussions are ongoing within the ruling party, with corporators actively lobbying and approaching MLAs and senior leaders to secure support ahead of the election. There is also speculation that the Congress may field a candidate for the Mayor’s post.
According to party insiders, the Mayor’s post is likely to go to the South Division this time, while the Deputy Mayor’s post may be allotted to the North Division. Discussions within the ruling party have also hinted at the possibility of selecting a woman corporator from the weaver community in South Belagavi. In the 2021 municipal elections, three women corporators from the community were elected on BJP tickets.
Political circles are also speculating that the Deputy Mayor’s post could go to a BJP corporator from the North Division, with a Marathi-speaking corporator being considered.
Meanwhile, some corporators are reportedly hesitant to accept the Deputy Mayor’s post this time, as the Mayor’s post is expected to fall under the general category next year, and they fear that accepting the deputy position now could affect their chances of becoming Mayor later.
BCC has 58 elected ward members along with five nominated members, and its wards broadly fall under the Belagavi North and Belagavi South Assembly constituencies.
Ratnaprabha Bellad, district president of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha, said the Lingayat community played a key role in the BJP’s victories in recent Assembly and parliamentary elections but alleged that the community is now being ignored.
Sources said the final decision on candidates is expected to be taken after consultations between Belagavi South MLA Abhay Patil and senior BJP leaders ahead of the polls. Currently, both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor belong to the South Zone, and the upcoming election is being closely watched by corporators and political observers.
