BJP fails litmus test; Cong looks to 2023

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: The resurgence of the Congress Party in the elections held to Town Municipal Councils, City Municipal Councils and Town Panchayats has increased the confidence of the party rank and file.

Congress workers are already upbeat after the recent Hangal Assembly bypoll victory. Now after bagging the highest number of seats in the three categories of urban local bodies, Congress leaders are brimming with confidence and hope they will be able to put up a good show in the 2023 Assembly polls.

While the Congress secured 42.5 per cent of votes, the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) secured 36.8 per cent and 2.61 per cent votes respectively.

For the saffron party, it is a clear warning that if it does not get its act together before the crucial Assembly polls, the prospects could be bleak. The JD(S), as usual, won a few seats in some districts, but managed to come to power in the Bidadi TMC, which was a face saver for former CM and senior JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy who owns a farm house there.

Interestingly, a sizeable number of independent candidates have won in many places and in one TMC in Belagavi district, they have won all the seats leaving not a single seat for the national or regional parties.

Congratulatory messages have come from AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former President of AICC Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary and incharge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala who appreciated Karnataka Congress leaders for winning laurels for the party.

Ministers failed

The elections were held just after the conclusion of the 10- day winter session of the State Legislature in Belagavi because of which BJP leaders did not have much time to concentrate on the polls. Even Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was too busy in other matters and could not pay much attention to the polls.

On the other hand, Congress lawmakers formed teams and worked as a close knit unit staying back in their constituencies and ensuring local leaders fought the polls effectively. KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar hardly attended the session and even skipped the debate on the contentious anti-conversion bill since he had to make arrangements for the padayatra from Mekedatu to Bengaluru from January 9 to January 19.

Two BJP MLAs from Belagavi, Ramesh and Balachandra Jarkiholi are said to have remained neutral which resulted in the poor performance of the party in the district. The BJP is losing its hold many districts where they had won the highest number of seats in the 2018 Assembly polls indicating all is not well in the party. Lack of leadership and excessive dependence on the Jarkiholi brothers have taught a big lesson to State BJP leaders. The party has lost in places like Ballari, Haveri and Belagavi which is quite surprising and If this trend continues, trouble awaits its candidates in the Assembly elections.

The Congress party on its part wants to repeat its performance in the ZP/TP and the BBMP polls in Bengaluru. These polls may turn out to be another disaster for the BJP if its leaders fail to set their House in order.