In the lead-up to the March 28th mayoral election, candidates are reportedly offering extravagant gifts to Ballari city corporation members in an attempt to secure votes. Mallangi Nandish, Gadeppa, Peram Vivek, and independent member Prabhanjan are among the contenders for the mayoral and deputy mayoral positions.
The competition is particularly heated between Nandish and Prabhanjan. Nandish is allegedly gifting silver plates and small gold replicas of the Congress party’s hand symbol. Prabhanjan, on the other hand, is said to be offering silk sarees, panches (traditional garments), and boxes of dry fruits.
Despite the Congress party holding a majority with 21 out of 39 members, the election is complicated by factional divisions within the party. Some members align with Ballari City MLA Nara Bharat Reddy, while others support Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and ST Welfare Minister B Nagendra. This mirrors the intense lobbying witnessed between the two groups in previous elections.