Bengaluru Deputy Mayor Ramila Umashankar dies just a week after elections

BENGALURU: Just a week after she was elected as the Deputy Mayor of Bengaluru, Ramila Umashankar died of a massive heart attack early on Friday. The 44-year old counsellor is survived by her husband, a son and a daughter.

"Ramila died after a massive cardiac arrest around 12.50 a.m. at a private hospital in the city," Bengaluru civic corporation official L. Suresh said.

She was rushed to the hospital but could not survive the massive cardiac arrest. "Ramila's husband (Umashankar) rushed her to the hospital after she complained of chest pain and difficulty in breathing," Suresh added.

A councillor of the ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), she was elected to serve as the Deputy Mayor on September 28. Following the news of her death, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) declared a holiday for its offices, schools and civic wards across the city. Hospitals and markets though would remain open.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, former prime minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda and Bengaluru Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun mourned Ramila's death.

While Ramila had won the Deputy Mayor elections, Congress candidate Gangambike Mallikarjun was elected as the 52nd Mayor of Bengaluru amid a walkout by BJP protesting alleged violation of rules.

Both the winning candidates had got 130 votes each, the minimum required in the electoral college of 259.

BJP, though the single largest in the corporation council, lacked the numbers having only 123 votes in the electoral college which comprises MPs, MLAs and MLCs from the city besides the corporators.