Vijayapura:
In a major development, all 35 corporators of the Vijayapura Municipal Corporation have been disqualified following an order issued by Belgaum Regional Commissioner Sanjay Shettennavar on Monday. The disqualified members include 17 from the BJP, 10 from Congress, one from JDS, two from MIM, and five independents, all of whom were elected in the 2022 municipal elections.
This action was taken after it was found that none of the members had submitted their mandatory asset declaration forms, which is a legal requirement. The lapse occurred after the mayoral and deputy mayoral elections held on January 9, 2024, in which Congress member Mehejabin Horti was elected as Mayor, and Dinesh Halli assumed the role of Deputy Mayor.
The issue was brought to the Kalaburagi High Court by former member Prakash Mirji Mainuddin Bilagi, questioning the non-submission of the asset declarations. Following the court’s directive, the government conducted an inquiry and decided to disqualify all 35 members, paving the way for fresh elections to reconstitute the municipal corporation.
This unexpected decision has left the corporators shocked and uncertain about their next steps. It remains to be seen how they will respond to this sudden loss of membership.
