BELGAUM: Utilising the opportunity of Kannada and Urdu corporators abstaining from the crucial meeting, the Belgaum City Corporation voted against giving civic reception to this year’s Jnanpith awardee Chandrashekhar Kambar at the general body meeting held here on Wednesday.Eighteen out of the total 58 members of the elected body remained absent for the council meeting in which the resolution was put for voting. Ten members voted for and 26 voted against the resolution. Mayor Manda Balekundri, Deputy Mayor Renu Killekar and ruling group leader Sambhajirao Patil voted against the resolution, while ten Kannada corporators under the banner of ‘Belagavi Abhivrudhi Vedike’ voted in favour of the resolution.The meeting held at 11 am was chaired by Mayor Manda Balekundri. Sambhaji Chavan, a Marathi corporator, who has not identified himself with any of the factions in the BCC and who is believed to be the key person raising voice against felicitating Kambar, clarified that he is neither against passing a congratulatory motion nor according a civic reception to Kambar. He reiterated that he is opposing the the state government’s policy of providing education only in Kannada language.Many Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti corporators echoed Chavan’s view and urged Mayor Manda to put the motion for voting to know the opinion of the corporation’s general body.The 18-member group of Kannada and Urdu corporators held a meeting at 9 am and decided to abstain from the council meeting despite knowing that a resolution on according civic reception to Kambar could be passed only by voting.Speaking to Express after the meeting, the group members made it clear that they will not accept the resolution passed by the corporation.
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