Vijayapura Wipeout: Entire Council Disqualified!

Vijayapura, Karnataka - In a significant move, all 35 members of the Vijayapura Municipal Corporation have been disqualified from their positions. This decision was made by Regional Commissioner S.B. Shettannavar on Monday, citing their failure to submit the mandatory asset declaration forms as required by law.

The disqualified members include 17 from the BJP, 10 from the Congress, 1 from the JDS, 2 from the MIM, and 5 independents. They were initially elected in the October 28, 2022 elections.

The issue came to light following the mayoral and deputy mayoral elections held on January 9, 2024, which saw Congress's Mehejabin Horti and Dinesh Halli elected. However, the subsequent mayoral and deputy mayoral elections scheduled for February 12, 2025, were halted by a court stay due to the ongoing dispute.

Former corporators Prakash Mirji and Mainuddin Bilagi filed a petition with the Kalaburagi High Court in November 2024, questioning the members' failure to submit their asset declarations as mandated. The High Court, after reviewing the case, directed the government to take necessary action.

Following the court's directive, the Regional Commissioner conducted an inquiry and subsequently issued the disqualification order for all 35 corporators.