Mangaluru : Thanks to the new reservation guidelines, out of 180 candidates in the fray for the election to 60 wards of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), 82 are women.

As per the revised reservation list announced by the government, 29 out of 60 wards are reserved for women. Accordingly, 18 wards are reserved for women in the general category, eight for BCM (A) women, two for BCM (B) women and one for a Scheduled Caste woman.

While Congress has fielded 29 women in the reserved wards, BJP has given two more seats to women candidates. BJP has 31 women candidates contesting in the polls. The JD(S) and CPM have fielded three women each, while Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), has two women candidates and one each from Welfare Party of India (WPI) and Communist Party of India (CPI). In addition, 12 candidates are also in fray as independent candidates.

Former corporators Hemalatha Raghu Salian, Poornima, Sumithra and Asha D’Silva are contesting again from BJP. Asha D’Silva was a Congress corporator in the previous council and is now contesting from the BJP after being denied a ticket at the last minute. In Congress, former corporators Pratahibha Kulai, Jacintha Vijaya Alfred and Rathikala are contesting again. Rameeza Banu, who won as a part of the JD(S) in the previous election, too are in the fray from the party. Other former corporators who are contesting as independent candidates are Gulzar Banu and Revathi Puthran.

Earlier, Gulzar Banu was with the Congress and had become a mayor for one tenure, but recently she quit the party and is contesting as an independent. Out of 29 wards reserved for women, the contest is a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP in 15 wards, where no other political parties and independent candidates are in the fray.

In the previous council election held on March 7, 2013, Congress had bagged 35 wards, BJP won 20, JD(S) secured two, one for SDPI and one ward was represented by an independent. From Congress, Mahabala Marla, Jacintha Vijaya Alfred, M Harinath, Kavitha Sanil and Bhaskar Moily were elected mayors for one year each. Out of five former mayors, Marla and Sanil are not in fray this time.