BENGALURU: As the countdown for battle for BBMP election begins, Bengaluru voters will have an interesting array of choices before they pick their local leaders this election. It’s going to be difficult for not only newly formed parties such as Aam Admi Party (AAP) and Loksatta, but also prominent ones like Congress, BJP and JD(S) as the 50 per cent reservation has put them in a ‘fix’.
From what we see, both the parties do not have strong candidates, both female and male, especially with the reservation hampering the prospects of male candidates and though there are efficient women candidates in some parts, they do not have strong local base.
A senior Congress leader points out, “No doubt Congress will not have it easy in some parts of the city, but that does not give BJP or JD(S) any benefit. These parties are on the same pages in terms of having potential women candidates, who are usually led by their husbands or brothers. Since there is a dearth for good candidates in prominent parties, parties like Loksatta and AAP may get lucky, as they have an appeal to urban voters.”
Another leader remarks that the Siddaramaiah government has been on a winning streak after the Parliamentary elections and the very recent being the Gram Panchayat election, which may give the party the much needed confidence.
“In the GP election, the Congress won in four areas between Electronics City and Kudlu, which fell under GP, but had urban voters. Though the periphery areas are not fully developed, they do have educated voters increasing in population and who seem to be willing to give Congress a chance. This should help the party win some votes,” the leader noted.
Although the garbage crisis persisted even before Siddaramaiah government came to power, the sluggish urban development, including bad roads, potholes, lack of water supply, has dented the party’s image in the city. The stable government alone should do the trick for the party, added a local leader.
“For a state that saw three BJP chief ministers in two years, the Congress' promise of a stable government has clearly appealed to both rural and urban voters. Meanwhile, the top BJP leaders are themselves riddled in scams, corruptions and financial irregularities and it’s the same in BBMP too and they may have to strenuously rework on their image and agenda,” says the leader, adding that the JD(S) too is struggling to find candidates.
According to District-in-charge Minister Ramlinga Reddy, who is confident of winning at least 100 seats, cracking the core area voters may not be easy. He said, “Rajajinagar, Basavanagudi, Malleswaram, Jayanagar and Padamanabhanagar are some of the areas which would be tough for us. Having said that, we have tackled all the major urban issues like garbage, roads and water. Though the projects are on paper as of now, in time all these will be implemented and that should change the face of the city and our appeal to voters, even in core areas.” For a city, which battles low voter turn out in local body elections, only more voting percentage can make or break the future of political parties.
Voters can enroll till July 15
With the BBMP election scheduled to be held on July 28, it’s still not late for citizens to enroll for voters’ ID cards. Those who do not have Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) can apply till July 15 and enroll for the card.
If your name is present in the list, you will be able to cast vote using other ID proofs such as Aadhar card, driving licence and others. Online applications for voter’s ID can be obtained on the State Election Commission website.
Helpline
Citizens can call helpline numbers 080-22374740 or 080-22224748.
For more assistance for visit the website http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/ for details.
BBMP Poll: Crucial facts
- July 8: Issue of notification
- July 15: Last date for nominations
- July 16: Last date for scrutiny of nominations
- July 20: Last date of withdrawal of candidatures
- July 28: Election
- July 30: Re-poll if necessary
- July 31: Announcement of results
- August 1: Date before completion of election process
- Wards: 198
- Polling stations: 6,733
- Male voters: 37.38 lakh
- Female voters: 33.82 lakh
- Others: 1,126
- Total voters: 71.221 lakh
- Prominent parties: Congress, BJP, Janata Dal (Secular),
- New entrants: Aam Aadmi Party and Loksatta
