BJP sitting MLA S.T Somashekar campaigned for Congress in North Bengaluru; Tamil Nadu BJP chief held an election campaign for Tejasvi Surya in South Bengaluru.
In a rousing speech in Tamil, Tamilnadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K. Annamalai charged the Congress government in Karnataka of ignoring the water crisis in the city. Campaigning for the BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya in Bangalore South this morning, he said, “I know which leader can make this place better. People had to buy water from tankers. There is no water in Bangalore. What did Congress people do?”
Tejasvi said that if all the people stand together, Congress can’t even step in South Bengaluru. Addressing the crowd, Tejasvi highlighted the Pradhan Mantri (PM) schemes and said that, if the people want to avail these schemes further, they should vote for Modi.
Annamalai requested the people to extend their support to Modi and Tejasvi Surya. “Tejasvi Surya looked after you like a mother and father would do. You should give the support back on April 26,” he said. He added that Karnataka have stood with Modi and people should show their support for Modi by letting BJP sweep Bengaluru South during the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Annamalai said that unlike Modi’s guarantee, Congress’s guarantee is warranty-less. “Will you believe when someone says that they’ll give you the moon?” he asked. Bengaluru sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Tejasvi Surya had campaigned for Annamalai and Vinoj Selvam in Tamil Nadu.
Sowmya Reddy, daughter of state transport minister Ramalinga Reddy is the candidate from Indian National Congress (INC) competing against Tejasvi in Bengaluru South. Sowmya Reddy is a former MLA from Jayanagar. BJP had moved the Election Commission (EC) against Sowmya Reddy earlier, alleging poll code violation.
In a press conference held at the Bangalore press club, Talakadu Chikkarange Gowda, a historian, asked the voters of Bangalore South to support Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy because she understands the problems and issues of the people of the area. Bharthi Shekhar, former president of Karnataka Women’s Association said that people of Bangalore South Constituency have made their mind to defeat Tejasvi Surya.
Bengaluru North
In Bengaluru North constituency, BJP MLA from Yeshwantpur, ST Somashekar is campaigning for INC, as per reports.
Bhanu Rangaswamy, former Personal Assistant (PA) of S. T. Somashekar said that Shobha Karandlaje, BJP candidate from North Bangalore, has intensified her campaigns in response to this. “Somashekar’s campaigning won’t help INC much. Shobha ma’am has campaigned in almost 55 to 58 wards. That will make up for the loss, if any,” he said. He added that BJP and Janata Dal (Secular)( JD(S)) alliance will be a plus point for BJP, as the closest candidate to BJP in the area was of JD(S) in 2023 Assembly elections.
People in the area said that they mostly vote based on the party symbol and candidates do not matter much. Even though most people agree that BJP has a strong hold in the constituency, they think that ST Somesekhar’s presence might spoil the game.
Rahul, a resident of Yeshwantpur said that BJP has done many positive things for the area. He said that Yeshwantpur railway station has been transformed into a world-class station. “There is free Wifi, platform tickets are checked and the train schedule is on time. This is all due to the BJP government in the center.” He also added that the candidate doesn’t matter to him as he wants to see BJP winning.
Pankaj Pandey, a Congress party member said that Congress has never done the kind of discrimination BJP has done in name of Hindu-Muslim.
“In our manifesto we have never mentioned the things BJP has alleged. They have set different norms when it comes to taxes and relief funds for different states. This is clearly visible,” he said.
Experts say that religion-based politics will only make environment worse in the country. Prathyuman a sociology professor said, “They are simply doing the Hindu-Muslim divide for the vote bank. It will only polarise the society more.”
What people expect in the North
As Bangalore North goes to poll on 26th April 2024, the voters look forward to improved connectivity, better employment and educational opportunities, proper sanitation facilities, improved surveillance systems in streets and others.
Manasa, a student from Government Pre University College, Malleswaram, is set to cast her first vote in 18th Lok Sabha elections. She commented that the initiatives taken by the previous government was satisfactory. “During the COVID period, they brought in strict rules to prevent the further spread of the virus and delivered essentials like milk and other food items to households,” she said.
Her friend Lavanya was not so happy with the last government. She raised the issue of cleanliness, and improper maintenance of drainage that plagued the city’s aesthetic as well as the health of its citizens.
Mehak, a first time voter from M S Palya, observed that the previous government had failed to keep up with its promises to provide better connectivity in the region. She expects the upcoming government to concentrate on the development of slums. Similarly, Neha from Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College for Women, Malleshwaram expects the next government to focus on welfare schemes for farmers and economically weaker sections.
Jerin Jannat a college student from Nandini Layout said that the Shakti Scheme, introduced by the Karnataka government has turned out to be a bane for many, as it led to overcrowding of government buses. She suggested reducing the ticket charges in government buses over providing free rides to women. “These overcrowded buses often take off before every passenger enters. I myself fell down once while boarding on the bus,” she added.
Venkatesh, an auto driver from Yeswanthpur, looks forward to better road infrastructure and surveillance systems in streets. “Though the main roads are in good condition, the smaller roads are often ill-maintained,” he said. He further said that the street lights have to be maintained properly and more CCTV cameras need to be installed in the city, considering the increased incidents of theft.
Vijay Kumar who has been driving an auto in Yeshwanthpur for the last 30 years said that no politician has done any good for the area, other than wasting public money. “No one provided housing for us and we are forced to live in slums due to our poor financial conditions,” he said.
Anupama VM, Arya S. Biju, Lovely Tyagi, Nikita Joshi and Vishisht Dwivedi contributed to this story.
