The Congress won the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts in Vijayapura in the elections held on Tuesday.

Mehjabeen Horti was elected Mayor and Dinesh Somalingaiah (Halli) was elected Deputy Mayor. Ms. Horti polled 22 votes and Mr. Somalingaiah was elected unopposed.

Regional Commissioner Sanjay Shettannanavar announced the results.

The 38-member House has 17 BJP members and 10 Congress members, two AIMIM members, one from the Janata Dal(S) and five Independents.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has said that the elections were illegal.

“These elections have been conducted when there is a case pending in court. We will challenge this legally,” he said.

“The Congress won because we boycotted it. We have filed applications before the Regional Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner urging them to postpone polling. But our pleas were not heard,” he said.

“The Regional Commissioner has acted unilaterally, by following only the district in-charge Minister’s instructions. It is all the more illegal as the elections were held despite the High Court issuing a notice to the respondents. We condemn this,” Mr. Yatnal said.

District in-charge Minister M.B. Patil dismissed the charge as baseless. “The polls have been held as per rules and due procedure. There is nothing illegal about it,” he said.