Kalaburagi: The Congress has won the Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts by defeating demoralised BJP with a huge margin in the elections held on Monday, April 11.

Syed Ahmed, a three-time councillor of the Congress and a close follower of Municipal Administration and Minority Affairs Minister Qamarul Islam was elected Mayor, who defeated Revanasiddappa Pail of the BJP. The Deputy Mayor post was won by another three-time councillor Sharanamma Bennur of Congress by defeating BJP’s Jagadevi Soma.

Both the winners polled 41 votes each while the vanquished BJP candidates polled 16 votes each.

The Mayor’s post is reserved for General category and the Deputy Mayor’s is reserved for General Women.

The BJP, which waited till the last minute for a rebellion in the Congress ranks, was a demoralised force and five of its members, Ramanand Upadyaya, councillor, Dattatreya Patil Revoor, MLA, Amarnath Patil, B.G. Patil, and K.B. Shanappa, all MLCs, were absent.