From frothing lakes to traffic snarls, Brand Bengaluru is crumbling under Congress rule, say the high-pitched campaigns of the BJP. The city is known for its vibrant civic activism — the huge crowds that came out to protest against a ₹2,000-crore steel flyover project and the protests for better roads in neighbourhoods are instances. But it’s a relatively stagnant political landscape, going by the voting pattern.
The turnout reflects a lack of enthusiasm: 52.8% in the city against 70.2% in the State in the Assembly polls in 2013. With 28 seats and electoral preferences distinct from issues that can swing votes in other parts of the State, the city witnesses a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP, played out by political veterans.
Tight race
In 2013, the Congress and the BJP were neck-to-neck here, winning 13 and 12 seats, respectively. Despite having lost over 70 seats in the State, the BJP managed to retain all but five seats in Bengaluru. In the margins, the Janata Dal(S) saw its best performance with three seats. However, two of its MLAs are with the Congress now.
In 2004, the urban image of the then Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, helped the Congress get 11 of the 16 seats (before delimitation) in Bengaluru, while the party lost a significant vote share in the rest of the State. The present Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, has not faced any backlash from Bangalore Inc., but neither does he have sway over the middle class in the city.
Instead, the Congress is banking on its welfare programmes for the urban poor, particularly Indira canteens that provide subsidised food which has a near 90% approval, according to the Karnataka Voter Survey 2018 by ADR and Daksh. The Congress has promised one lakh houses for the city’s poor.
“The State government has funded the civic body with over ₹14,000 crore over the past three years, restoring it back to financial health which was in a shambles after a BJP stint,” says Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who is confident that the party will increase its tally by at least two.
But the government faced some of the fiercest protests by civic groups in recent years, especially over the steel flyover project, which was dropped after allegations of corruption. Minister K.J. George has been in the eye of the storm over several issues, including alleged conflict of interests as he is a realtor by profession. Flooding in 2016 and 2017 and the polluted Bellandur Lake left the administration face the wrath of the people.
Building a narrative
The BJP is using this as an entry point to build a narrative for Bengaluru by capitalising on the urban, tech-savvy image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even its Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrashekar, who has helmed civic protests.
“The Bengaluru story has soured and the BJP is the only party capable of bringing it back to focus ... Narendra Modi is very popular among the urban voters and his campaign will swing votes,” said P.C. Mohan, Bengaluru Central MP and convener of the party’s election committee.
Highlighting the murder of a BJP activist in October 2016 and another this January, allegedly by members of the minority community, the party campaign alleges breakdown of law and order.
Mr. Modi said the city was known for “ease of doing murder” under the Congress. The assault on a customer at a café by the son of Congress MLA N.A. Haris has given the BJP a handy weapon.
The ADR-Daksh survey reveals that the top issues in the city are better power and water supply, roads, schools and law and order. “The issues seem to be scattered, but most of them can be clubbed to be called lack of responsive governance in the city,” Harish Narasappa of DAKSH says.
The problem is that neither party has articulated a different vision or a proven track record in governance, making the choice complex, he says.
