Much to the disappointment of Kannada groups that had tried hard to wrest control of the Belgaum City Corporation, pro-Marathi groups won a majority of seats in the urban local body polls to retain power in the BCC.
Even the anti-Karnataka stand taken by former mayor, Manda Balekundri and her deputy Renu Killekar, which led to the dissolution of the BCC last year, did not help the Kannada organisations. The Marathi groups, including the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) won 33 of the 58 seats in the BCC council. Interestingly, Ms Balekundri and Ms Killekar were defeated.
The pro-Kannada groups had to be content with only 19 seats and the Urdu-speaking group with six. Having won a clear majority, the pro-Marathi groups are expected to win the mayoral polls too without much trouble. The Marathi Yuva Agadi, a pro-Marathi group headed by four-time mayor, Sambhajirao Patil, won nine seats and the MES, 24 seats. Both groups are expected to join hands to keep the pro-Kannada groups out of power again.
Known as kingmaker in the corporation, Sambhajirao Patil won from ward-15 with 1,774 votes against Anil Kuranakar (768 votes). The other prominent pro-Marathi leaders who won are Pandari Parab, Shivaji Kuduchakar, Raju Birje, Sudha Bhatkande and Renu Mutkekar.
While a noted lawyer and prominent MES leader, Dhanraj Gavali lost the poll, a couple of MES leaders like Rupa Nesarkar and Anushri Deshpande won by slender margins. The MES victory is certain to give fresh lease of life to the pro-Marathi groups’ battle for merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra.