Mangalore City Corporation Mayoral contest heats up

Mangalore, February 20: Cousins and first time corporators will vie for the post of mayor when elections to the same will be held on February 28. With the state government on Thursday finally announcing the roster of reservations to the post of mayor and deputy mayors of all city corporations in the state, political activity among the ruling BJP in Mangalore City Corporation has gone up a notch with the two aspirants pressing for their case.

The post of mayor has been reserved for SC candidate, and that of deputy mayor for woman (general) candidate. The two SC candidates in the ruling saffron camp are Praveen representing 24-Derebail (south ward) and his cousin Amitha Kala representing the adjacent 25-Derebail (west ward). While Praveen is upbeat about his prospects of succeeding Rajani Dugganna as the mayor, Amitha says she has left the choice to the party seniors.

For Amitha, the very move by the state government to reserve the post for a SC candidate is a victory of sorts. Asserting that she is not lobbying for the post, Amitha, an arts graduate from University College said she would be happy either way. "I will go with whatever the party leadership decides," she told STOI, adding what is more important is for the next mayor to focus on issues pertaining to people, especially people from SC/ST communities.

Praveen, a little more brash admitted that he has been pressing for his case with the party leadership. "I stand a very good chance of making it to the top post," he said, adding that the party corporators seemed inclined in his favour. However, a senior BJP corporator said no final decision has yet been taken on the possible candidate and the party leadership would meet closer to the date of the elections and finalise the names of candidates for the two posts.

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Mangaluru Tees Off Big: Golf Excellence Academy to Open at Pilikula

News Network

February 1,2026

The coastal city of Mangaluru is gearing up for a major sporting milestone with the launch of a Golf Excellence Academy at the Pilikula Golf Club (PGC), scheduled to open on May 31. The initiative aims to position Mangaluru firmly on India’s national golfing map.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday during PGC’s first-ever floodlit Pro-Am tournament, club captain Manoj Kumar Shetty said the project is being funded by UAE-based philanthropist Michael D’Souza and is currently in the design phase. Experts from leading golf academies across the country are expected to visit Mangaluru to help shape the training programme and infrastructure.

The academy will train 20 young golfers at a time, with a long-term vision of producing national-level players from the region. Until now, PGC relied on an in-house coach, but the recent renovation of the course and the introduction of floodlights have opened new possibilities for expanding the sport.

Shetty said discussions are underway with two reputed coaching academies, whose heads are expected to visit PGC shortly. “A dormitory for trainers is already under construction. We are inviting academies to assess the facilities and suggest changes so we can build a truly world-class Golf Excellence Academy,” he said.

Professional golfer Aryan Roopa Anand noted that the floodlit course would be a game-changer for young players. “Students can now practise after school hours, even up to 8 or 9 pm, without compromising on academics,” he said.

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