Congress Grapples with Applicant Shortfall Ahead of Bengaluru Civic Elections
In a significant development ahead of the elections for the five newly formed Bengaluru city corporations, the Congress party has reported receiving a total of 963 applications from aspiring candidates across 369 wards. However, the party faces a notable challenge, as it had no applicants in 45 wards as of Sunday, highlighting potential gaps in its electoral strategy.
KPCC Meeting Sets Strict Guidelines for Ticket Aspirants
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) convened a crucial meeting of aspirants on Sunday, attended by KPCC president DK Shivakumar and Bengaluru district Congress leaders. Shivakumar issued a firm directive, giving aspirants 15 days to verify voter lists at each booth level if they seek the party's ticket. "If you are not verifying the draft voter list by visiting each house, you are not prepared for the polls," he asserted, urging workers to identify discrepancies ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The city corporations are currently mapping voter lists, with the state election commission having released the draft list.
Criticism of Special Intensive Revision and Reservation Formula
Shivakumar expressed strong reservations about the SIR, labeling it a "big danger" and "anti-democratic." He noted that voters must submit applications to retain voting rights, a process he criticized despite court rulings, including those involving Mamata Banerjee. Additionally, he voiced dissatisfaction with the ward-wise reservation formula, stating, "Don't think I am satisfied with the reservations. I know there are some problems," but assured that the civic polls will proceed without delay.
Former Rajya Sabha MP MV Rajeev Gowda echoed these concerns, dubbing SIR as "Special Intensive Rigging" and emphasizing the need for careful handling, as it requires voters added after 2002 to prove documentation. He urged applicants to conduct "Ward Padayatra" and develop ward-level manifestos.
Social Media Strategy and Political Countermeasures
Congress leaders advised party workers to leverage social media effectively to counter the BJP. They highlighted recent trends, such as viral videos of Narendra Modi's past speeches, as opportunities to gain traction. Congress MLC DT Srinivas remarked, "BJP has been trolling Rahul Gandhi for over a decade. This is our opportunity to teach them a lesson. We must use these trends to our advantage by sharing such posts widely." Applicants were also encouraged to promote the impact of the Congress government's five guarantee schemes.
Future Plans for Additional Corporations
In a related announcement, DK Shivakumar revealed plans to form two more city corporations around Bengaluru or merge certain areas among existing ones. Potential areas include parts of Byatarayanapura in north Bengaluru and regions near Whitefield and Electronics City. He clarified that this plan will not affect the upcoming polls for the five corporations, stating, "We formed the five new corporations to decentralise governance and strengthen the city financially. We can form two more in future." Discussions with MLAs are scheduled over the next two days to refine this proposal.
