Belagavi : Candidates backed by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) were on Saturday elected the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Belagavi.

While Kiran Sayanak is the new Mayor, Meena Vaz is his deputy. The two are members of the Belagavi Development Front (BDF), which is backed by the MES. The BDF thus retained power in the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) for a second term. Efforts by an united opposition of pro-state Kannada-Marathi-Urdu speaking members to defeat the ruling Front failed.

In spite of poaching some of the BDF members due to the fragile unity in the ruling group, the Opposition failed to win the elections.

Sayanak bagged 32 votes against his opponent Ramesh Sontakki, who secured 27 votes. Vaz won the deputy mayor’s post by bagging 32 votes against Sarala Herekar from the pro-state group, who got 27 votes.

Small-scale Industries and district in-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi (Yamakanamaradi MLA), Lok Sabha members Suresh Angadi (Belagavi) and Prakash Hukkeri (Chikodi) and Belagavi Rural MLA Sanjay Patil, all ex officio members of the civic body, were conspicuous by their absence.

MLA Sambhaji Patil and Belagavi North MLA Feroz Sait, as ex officio members of the BCC, exercised their franchise.

The mayor’s post had been reserved for the general category and the deputy mayor’s for the general category (woman). The BCC has 58 elected members and six ex officio members.

All the 58 elected members were present during the elections. Regional Commissioner M Manjunath Nayak was the returning officer.