In Bengaluru, Congress is betting on social programs to defeat the BJP
Bengaluru, known as India’s center for information technology (IT), has been a BJP bastion for the previous 20 years. Elections for the Assembly and legislature are conducted differently throughout the city. In the past, the Congress has often won 50% of the seats in Assembly elections but lost every seat in the Lok Sabha race.
All three of Bengaluru’s parliamentary seats—Bangalore North, Bangalore South, and Bangalore Central—have been held by the BJP. In Bangalore South, the party has never lost since 1991. In a similar vein, Bangalore Central joined the party in 2009, and Bangalore North since 2004. Bangalore Rural is the lone exception, having joined the Congress in 2014.
According to previous results of parliamentary polls, the city seems to have been re-electing its MPs. Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South is running for a second term, DK Suresh from Bangalore Rural for a third, and PC Mohan from Bangalore Central for a fourth. Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje will run against Congressman Rajeev Gowda, a first-time candidate, from Bangalore North, replacing the outgoing MP DV Sadadnanda Gowda.
Caste remains a crucial factor, even though problems like the water crisis, deteriorating infrastructure, and traffic jams have gained widespread attention. Every political party is making use of the Vokkaliga community vote bank.
The BJP has put forward two Vokkaliga candidates, CN Manjunath and Shobha Karandlaje, while the Congress has nominated three: DK Suresh, Sowmya Reddy, and Rajeev Gowda.
Of the 32 Assembly seats in Bengaluru’s urban and rural areas, the Congress won 16, the BJP won 15, and the JD (S) won one in the 2023 Assembly election. The Congress won 16 seats, the BJP 11, and the JD (S) 7.
The BJP members in Bangalore North are not pleased with Shobha Karandlaje’s candidacy, and this might work against the party. BJP MLA ST Somashekar has publicly defected from his party and vowed to back Rajeev Gowda of the Congress.
The JD(S) candidate Dr. CN Manjunath, son-in-law of former PM HD Deve Gowda, has questioned the DKS brothers’ (Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and DK Suresh) domination in Bangalore Rural.
The Congress candidates are depending on the social programs the party introduced after winning the 2023 state election, while the BJP is counting on the public’s love for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mansoor Ali Khan, a candidate for the Bangalore Central Congress, said, “We have offered welfare schemes that no state ruled by the NDA can match.” We have also given youth and women more power.
“All three constituencies (Bangalore North, Central, and South) remain a citadel of the BJP that cannot be breached,” said Tejasvi Surya, the BJP candidate for Bangalore South. With the BJP-JD(S) combination, our winning margin will undoubtedly increase. Bengaluru’s water security problems are caused by Congress’s poor leadership in spite of early warnings.
Surya is running against Sowmya Reddy of the Congress. She is Ramalinga Reddy’s (the state minister) daughter.
Karnataka Congress insiders claim that if the party loses in Bengaluru, the current ministers would lose all future authority in the state and will be forced to resign.
Tomorrow is the day for the votes in Bengaluru’s four seats.
