In a major political development, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner G Lakshmikanth Reddy on Wednesday disqualified four BJP councillors of Nanjangud for violating party discipline during the City Municipal Council (CMC) elections. Their memberships were annulled under the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law.
The action was taken against Girish Kumar (Ward 1), Gayatri Murugesh (Ward 12), Meenakshi Nagaraj (Ward 22), and Vijayalakshmi Kumar (Ward 27). Despite being BJP members, they defected to support the Congress candidate, Srikantaswamy, who went on to become CMC president—defeating the BJP-JD(S) alliance nominee, which otherwise held the majority.
The councillors had defied the BJP whip by abstaining from voting, which directly aided Congress’s victory in the leadership vote. Their betrayal triggered a formal complaint from BJP Nanjangud city president Siddaraju and member Deva on October 29, 2024.
Following a thorough hearing, the Deputy Commissioner concluded that the councillors’ actions constituted a clear violation of the party mandate and disqualified them accordingly.
This decisive move serves as a stern reminder of the consequences of crossing party lines without resignation and highlights the enforcement of anti-defection rules at the local government level