Bangalore: Realising that disregard for problems of urban middle class voters could cost the Congress dear in next year’s polls to Lok Sabha, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to alter his focus from pro-AHINDA schemes to rebuilding Brand Bangalore and developing a network of good roads across the state.
Sources close to Siddaramaiah told Deccan Chronicle that the Chief Minister would initiate the first step in a day or so, by chairing a review meeting with senior officers on projects launched by him in October to spruce up Bangalore at a cost of Rs 550 crores by the dawn of 2014. These projects were flagged off soon after Congress president Sonia Gandhi advised him to address infrastructure woes of Bangalore during her visit to Mandya.
The sources said Siddaramaiah was aware that urban voters could not do without clean water, uninterrupted supply of power and good roads.
“With the state receiving good rain this year, Siddaramaiah need not worry about power and water but has to concentrate on improvement of roads across the state. Besides, legislators have complained about bad roads whenever he addressed a meeting of the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting,” the sources added.
The sources said the fact that problems of urban voters cannot be overlooked was clear from the verdict in the recent elections in northern states with parties which ignored such problems paying a heavy price.
