Express News Service By

BENGALURU: Four former mayors of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) have challenged BJP to prove its majority in the September 11 mayoral elections.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Sunday, Congress leaders Ramachandrappa, Huchappa, P R Ramesh and Mumtaz Begum charged that BJP is misleading the public by claiming that it has won the mandate to rule the BBMP in the recent elections.

Maintaining that no political party including BJP, Congress and the JD(S) got majority of a minimum 131 members required to come to power, Ramachandrappa said, “BJP is making unnecessary noise over the issue.”

Stating that the Congress, which has secured the support of JD(S) and independent corporators, has the mandate to rule the BBMP, he advised BJP members to accept the reality and extend co-operation to ensure better delivery of civic services to the people. Ramesh said, “BJP is worried about the state government’s decision to bring to book those involved in scams in the dissolved BBMP council.”

Ahmed meets Parameshwara

JD(S) legislator Zamir Ahmed, the architect of the JD(S)-Congress alliance in BBMP, met KPCC president G Parameshwara on Sunday. It is learnt that both leaders discussed the strategies for the mayoral election.

A meeting between the KPCC president and JD(S) state unit president H D Kumaraswamy is likely to be held on Monday where both leaders are expected formalise the alliance.

According to KPCC sources, the City Congress unit will stage a huge protest against the BJP for its stand on the mayoral elections. Party sources said CM Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara have convened a meeting of the 76 newly elected Congress corporators on Monday.

Strategies to prevent BJP from making last-minute efforts to come to power are likely to be discussed during the meeting, sources added.