Corporation polls, a spring board for candidates to make it to Legislature

Mysuru: Even as the city is voting on Aug.31 to elect new Corporators of MCC, an insight into the earlier polls has thrown light on how several MLAs, past and present, made it to the Legislature after contesting the MCC polls. Kempegowda, B.K. Puttaiah, B.N. Kengegowda, H.S. Shankarlingegowda, Vasu, Tanveer Sait, M.K. Somashekar and L. Nagendra are among those who made it to the Legislature Assembly after winning the MCC polls. Also, Ministers G.T. Devegowda and Puttarangashetty, who were earlier ZP members, before they contested Assembly polls and won. Current KR MLA S.A. Ramdas of the BJP too had unsuccessfully contested the MCC polls once in the past. When Mysuru was a Municipality earlier, K. Puttaswamy, who was a  Councillor, successfully contested the Assembly polls and even became a Minister for a short period. Kempegowda, B.K. Puttaiah and B.N. Kengegowda who had served as the then CITB (now MUDA) Chairman, went on to become Legislators. After Mysuru Municipality turned into Mysuru City Corporation, H.S. Shankarlingegowda (late), Vasu, Tanveer Sait, M.K. Somashekar and L. Nagendra, all having been Corporators, went on to become MLAs. Among the five, Shankarlingegowda and Vasu had served as Mayors. While Shankarlingegowda got elected from Chamaraja Assembly segment for four successive terms (1994 to 2013) on a BJP ticket, Vasu was elected from the same Constituency as a Congress candidate in 2013 before he lost to L. Nagendra of the BJP in the May 2018 Assembly polls. M.K. Somashekar got elected from KR Constituency for two terms — First in 2004 on a JD(S) ticket and for the second time in 2013, on a Congress ticket. Tanveer Sait, who succeeded his father Azeez Sait, has been elected five times from NR Assembly Constituency without a break since 2002, when he first contested on a Congress ticket, in the By-election that was necessitated by the death of his father Azeez Sait. Current MLA L. Nagendra of the BJP, was elected as an MCC Corporator thrice earlier. He had also served as MUDA Chairman when the BJP Government was in power.