Karnataka: Hassan Mayor Disqualified as Councillor by Regional Commissioner

Quick Summary

• The Regional Commissioner of Mysuru, Ramesh D.S., has disqualified Chandre Gowda, Hassan Mayor, as a councillor.
• The disqualification is based on allegations of violating the Karnataka Local Authorities (Prohibition of Defection) Act.
• Chandre Gowda was elected to the Hassan City Municipal Council under a JD(S) ticket and became council president in August 2024.
• JD(S) directed Mr. Gowda to vacate his post after six months, but he refused to comply. This led to other JD(S) members filing a no-confidence motion against him.
• Despite the motion, Mr. Gowda retained his position on April 29 with support from Congress and BJP members and expressed gratitude toward Preetham Gowda (BJP former MLA) and Shreyas M. Patil (Congress MP).
• Senior JD(S) leader H.D. Revanna accused Mr. Gowda of defying party orders and alleged collaboration between Congress and BJP in Hassan while maintaining alliances elsewhere in Karnataka.

Indian Opinion Analysis
the disqualification of Hassan Mayor Chandre Gowda underscores ongoing political turbulence within local government structures in Karnataka due to party allegiance disputes under anti-defection laws-a key measure intended to maintain political discipline but frequently enough challenged by shifting alliances at lower levels of governance.

This case spotlights tensions between broader state-level power dynamics and localized politics were cross-party collaborations such as those between Congress-BJP members work both for practical governance reasons yet risk breaching internal party directives like those from JD(S). The incident reflects not just defiance by politicians but systemic challenges around enforcing consistent disciplinary measures within coalition-centric states like Karnataka where fragmented political loyalties are frequent.

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