Winning Bengaluru: Congress floods city with funds

Bengaluru: Overhauling the tech hub's crumbling infrastructure as well as plugging the yawning gap between the rich and poor could be the ruling Congress' big ticket to win Bengaluru from under the nose of the BJP and the JD(S) who have a strong hold over the city.

It will push ahead with a slew of schemes to win as many votes as possible as part of its strategy to garner the majority of the 28 seats in the city in next year's elections to the Legislative Assembly. Such unprecedented focus on Bengaluru and its voters, according to sources in Congress, stem from suggestions by party general secretary in charge of Karnataka, K.C. Venugopal, who, during discussions with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar, suggested a plan to be one-up on the BJP, and outdo that party which holds sway over urban voters. 

  The upshot:  funds aplenty are flowing for construction of tunnel roads, speeding up of Metro project, immediate makeover of roads, repair of underground drains, and a host of other infrastructure projects. Besides, schemes to woo the poor among urban voters are being put in place: multi-storeyed housing, Indira Canteens to provide food at extremely subsidized rates, free distribution of canned drinking water in slums, and immediate sanction of ration cards without supporting documents like Aadhar cards. The sudden focus towards Bengaluru could be gauged by the fact that the government doled out special assistance of Rs 25 crores each to three Assembly constituencies for developmental projects, notwithstanding a drain on the exchequer. In short, all developmental projects in the city are moving at an unusual pace just to ensure that they are completed before polls, so that government can project the facelift of the city to voters.    

Sources told Deccan Chronicle ministers including 13 MLAs elected from constituencies in the city were given a list of projects which should be implemented on a priority basis in order to woo voters away from the BJP. 

They have been asked by Mr Venugopal to monitor the progress of these projects so that they are ready for inauguration by the end of 2017, sources added. 

A minister from Bengaluru said: “I am getting good feedback from citizens about speedy development in several segments and that itself is enough to woo voters. We are attracting BPL families through  populist schemes and other voters with the agenda of development. I hope the Congress will fare better than the saffron party in the elections.”

Efforts are on to edge out JD(S) which won four Assembly seats in Bengaluru in 2013 owing to the leaders’ clout over Vokkaligas and minorities. The edge, however, could be missing in next elections as former minister Zameer Ahamed Khan has revolted against state JD(S) chief H.D. Kumaraswamy and seems set to contest on a Congress ticket in 2018.