Bengaluru polls: Cong lost grace too?

prahlad

Prahlad Rao | August 25, 2015


#bengaluru   #congress   #bjp   #bbmp   #elections   #narendra modi  

In a democracy political parties lose elections and some are won. And in a century of its existence the Congress party has many humiliating defeats and unbelievable victories. However, the party does not seem to have taken its defeat in elections to Bengaluru municipal corporation in right spirit.

The BJP won 100 of the BBMP's 198 wards, the Congress 76 and the Janata Dal (Secular) 14 in the polling that took place on Saturday and whose results came out today.

Karnataka Congress president G Parameshwara today called the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) poll results very disappointing. This remark is well within the parameters of politically correct reactions. Next he said ‘this verdict will impact city’s development.” This comment is totally unacceptable and politically incorrect. Congress is the ruling party and it controls money and the threat could be bad for the city.

We understand his disappointment, but it is wrong to threaten the citizens of Bengaluru in such manner.  The Congress should also take note of the demographic numbers in the IT capital of the nation. Bengaluru now has nearly 80% non-Kannadigas and they come from all over India. If the party is going to be vengeful and blocks the city’s development, the consequences would be felt in India.

Bengaluru can also trigger social media backlash and the Congress has shown that it is very poor in handling the perception of the virtual world.

For the record, this is the third big victory for the BJP this month after it won civic elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

It was noted by prime minister Narendra Modi. "After MP & Rajasthan, BBMP poll results complete a hat-trick of wins for BJP. This is a win for politics of development & good governance," tweeted Modi as his party celebrated in Bengaluru.

The PM should also feel happy because for the first time, 50 per cent seats were reserved for the women candidates.

There was big buzz but the elections saw less than 50 per cent voter turnout on Saturday. Many young professionals had contested this time and Bengaluru faces big problems like traffic, bad roads, poor garbage disposal and polluted lakes.

Meanwhile, a visibly disturbed Karnataka Congress leader and chief minister Siddaramaiah said "I own responsibility for the performance of the Congress in the civic polls. The BJP was in power in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Council for the last five years. Their rule was marred by corruption and scams. But people still voted for them."

Pointing out that the BJP had lost the New Delhi Assembly election though it had come to power in the centre, Siddaramaiah, who was in Delhi yesterday, said the loss at the civic polls did not reflect on his government. "The BJP lost miserably in the New Delhi Assembly polls. Do you think it was a referendum of the NDA government at the Centre? Elections to urban local bodies are completely different involving local issues," he maintained.

The chief minister, however, admitted that his party did not get the campaign right. "I feel we failed to convince the voters why they should have voted us to power. We did not effectively communicate our achievements and plans for Bengaluru," he said.

Effective communication is different than miscommunication. The Congress should remember this.

Comments

 

Other News

How Rafi, Raj Kapoor helped pave the way for a great uranium deal

There`s a certain moment in diplomacy that`s too personal to be captured in a communiqué, too small to make the front page, but more revealing than the front page. This week, prime minister Narendra Modi reached Tashkent and, amid the pomp of state visits, managed to evoke the old Bollywood tunes

Distinguishing Fish 1 and Fish 2: The pragmatism behind India’s WTO ratification

 India became the 123rd WTO member to ratify the multilateral Agreement on Fisheries subsidies (AoFS) when it deposited the Instrument of Acceptance for Phase 1 on July 20, 2026. The ratification is restricted to disciplining Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU), protection for overfished

The 7% growth problem: Why the next 7% will be harder

India has become accustomed to hearing the 7% growth number. It is now less a milestone than an expectation. Yet the paradox is becoming clearer: maintaining 7% growth may be considerably harder than achieving it once. India’s real GDP grew 7.7% in FY2025–26, following growth of 6.5% in FY202

The Constitution cannot be altered: Justice Abhay Oka

Justice Abhay Oka, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2025, has said that the Constitution of India cannot be altered. Explaining the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment (1973) on the basic structure of the Constitution, he said, “This is one judgment that has saved democracy in India.&rdq

How the flora and fauna evolved in the Indian subcontinent

Mammals of India  By A.J.T. Johnsingh and P.O. Nameer HarperCollins India in association with Bombay Natural History Society  

India`s renewable race is moving beyond megawatts

When Shell bought Sprng Energy in 2022, India`s renewable energy market appeared to offer precisely what global energy majors were seeking: scale, growth and a place in one of the world`s largest energy transitions. Four years later, Shell is selling the same business to Aditya Birla Group for an enterpris

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter