BBMP polls: Let’s pick the right mayor, Mr CM

Bengaluru: With the BBMP election results expected by Tuesday evening, the next big question is, who will be the next mayor? As per a notification issued by the Urban Development Department, a general category candidate can be elected as the 49th mayor, while a general category woman candidate can be chosen as the 50th deputy mayor of Bengaluru. But the Congress government is expected to stick to a reservation matrix that will benefit its party candidates.

Sources said that the BBMP has already written to the state government asking if it can go ahead with the earlier reservation or if any changes have to be adopted. It is said that the government has not replied yet and is likely to respond only after the results.

Meanwhile, political parties are engaging in short-listing candidates for the next mayor’s post. Highly-placed sources in the Congress maintained that Madiwala ward former corporator B.N Manjunath Reddy and former corporator of Siddapura ward M. Udayshankar were the frontrunners for the post. Also doing the rounds are the names of Jayamahal ward former corporator Gunashekar, Shankar Math former corporator G.M Shivaraju and M. Nagaraju of Nandini Layout ward.  

“Mr Reddy and Mr Udayshankar will have an advantage as usually general category candidates are given preference, while electing the mayor. Also, the party has a lot of new faces in the fray this time. Importance will be given to the senior candidates in the party. It can be noted that Mr Manjunath Reddy is also close to the district-in-charge minister,” said a source. Though the BJP has not suggested any names so far, the party has fielded two former mayors, Basavanagudi ward former corporator Katte Satya and Moodalpalya ward former corporator N. Shanthakumari.

Arrangements being made for counting of votes at VHD Institute of Home Science in Bengaluru on Monday

It has to be seen whether the party will choose these leaders as mayors the second time if both emerge as winners. If the BJP and JD(S) come together to rule the BBMP Council then it will be interesting, how the spoils will be shared.

Low voter turnout to affect prospects of parties?

The biggest blow for all the political parties this BBMP election was the low voter turnout. Though there was a marginal increase of 6-7 per cent as compared to the previous election’s turnout of 44 per cent, the political parties still face the danger of not gaining majority.

The exit polls have predicted that the Congress could become the single largest party and could even gain the majority. BJP insiders said that among many reasons for the party not winning the majority in the Palike council is the lack of strong candidates.

A BJP MLA, on condition of anonymity, said, “Many senior and former corporators were denied tickets. Though young candidates were preferred, I am not sure whether they struck a chord with the voters. Since most of the women candidates are front for their husbands and fathers, it did not look like the party fielded strong candidates. This may have failed to impress the urban voters.”
He said that social media campaigns, urging voters to cast their franchise, did not reach the electorate.

“Social media and even TV commercials and campaigns were a trump card in Parliamentary polls. Weeks before the polls, there was so much noise about the election that we expected that there would at least 15 per cent increase in the voter turnout. But all these predictions fell flat,” he said.  But what could minimise the damage for the BJP is the support of core city voters, another MLA said.

If the exit polls are to be believed, the Congress could win 90 to 100 seats, the BJP 70-90 and JD(S) up to 20 seats. Till now, the BJP has maintained that it will not go with the BJP to come to power in the BBMP Council.