Jai Jinendra ,

JAIN WOMAN BECOMES BELGAUM MAYOR
For the first time in the last 17 years, a Kannada-speaking Jain corporator was elected as Mayor of Belgaum, a town on Karnataka's border with Maharashtra. Prashantha Budvi, a Kannada-speaking Jain corporator, defeated Neelima Pavshe of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) by a narrow margin of two votes in a neck and neck race for the post of Mayor of Belgaum. Pudvi bagged 30 votes against Pavshe's 28 votes in a house of 58 members. The election for the post of Mayor of Belgaum had become a prestige issue for various Kannada and Marathi groups in Belgaum, which has become a bone of contention between Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra.Since the inception of Belgaum City Corporation in 1984, the post of Mayor has remained with Marathi-speaking groups, except for period of one year in 1991 when Siddanagouda, a Kannada-speaking corporator was elected as Mayor. News courtesy by Mr. Mahavir S. Chavan.