The Hindu : CMC poll result gives BJP a rude jolt

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

CMC poll result gives BJP a rude jolt

By B.K.Vittal

Bangalore Aug.11. The stunning defeat of its candidates in the election to the 35-member Krishnarajapuram City Municipal Council has come as a shock to the BJP, which was hoping to fare reasonably well, even if it was unable to capture the council.

With the results of the elections out today, the BJP, to its surprise, has found that its number in the council, far from increasing, has come down. The party, which earlier held four seats, will now have to remain content with two.

More than its own poor performance, the party is distressed that the Congress has secured 21 of the seats and the Janata Dal (S) 10. The BJP had put up 28 candidates and supported BSP candidates in two wards.

The BJP had launched a major campaign against the CMC, headed by the Congress, following the revelation of alleged corruption in the local body, and expected this to carry it far in the elections, but this hope has been belied.

According to a party source, the BJP had been confident of faring well even two days prior to the election. But the spate of promises made by the ruling party such as bringing Cauvery water for drinking purposes, and other civic amenities, had swung the votes in favour of it.

Strangely, it was admitted by the source, that no leader of consequence had campaigned for the party despite the importance of the election. The only comfort the party is taking is that its candidates lost by a narrow margin in some wards.

A consistent claim of the party was that it had become very popular within 10 days of assumption of office by H.N.Ananth Kumar as President of the State unit of the BJP. The outcome of the election has proved the claim wrong.

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