“BBMP could be very prestigious as a result of it’s a conglomerate of 5 firms that embody a number of cities and greater than 120 villages moreover town of Bengaluru. With an voters of over 9 million and 369 company wards, it’s a minimum of an meeting battle for the state…,” he stated.

In November final 12 months, the GBA changed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), paving approach from one single company to 5 for higher administration and streamlining civic companies in Bengaluru.

It elevated the variety of wards from the sooner 198 to 369 and in addition has provisions to develop the boundaries of town company from round 800 sq km presently to nearly 1,400 sq km to incorporate localities, cities and villages mendacity within the metropolis’s outer periphery.

Because the nerve centre of Karnataka and residential to just about 1 / 4 of the state’s inhabitants, Bengaluru stays a high political precedence for the BJP and its nationwide management. The town accounts for a big chunk of India’s over $200 billion IT exports, thought-about a serious R&D centre, startup and aviation hub, however has been within the information for all of the incorrect causes.

Its crumbling infrastructure, widespread corruption and the Siddaramaiah-led Congress authorities’s administration–or mismanagement–of town has been utilized by the BJP to assault the three-year administration.

The BJP and its ally, the Janata Dal (Secular) or the JD(S), have accused Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.Ok.Shivakumar as the rationale for this degradation.

Shivakumar, as Bengaluru in cost minister, has proposed to construct a 40km tunnel highway at a value of Rs 40,000 crore, Rs 500 crore for a skydeck, double decker roads—dubbed as ‘vainness tasks’—that overlooks fixing potholes, laying good roads, easing congestion, finishing the metro and different measures to enhance the standard of dwelling for 14 million residents.

The Siddaramaiah authorities, in flip, has argued that lack of funds to ‘develop’ Bengaluru attributable to lowered share of central taxes to states, decline in cooperative federalism and imposition of Hindi has turned the metropolis to a platform for political clashes.

Although the BJP being in energy within the company has carried out little to assist ease Bengaluru’s issues, it has prioritised the civic polls for a mess of causes.

Karnataka is among the solely strongholds of the BJP in these components and the area is taken into account because the ‘gateway to the south’. A win would give it a serious enhance forward of the polls in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, political observers stated.

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Additionally Learn: With SC’s Bengaluru civic ballot deadline, Karnataka’s Congress govt set to face essential take a look at

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‘Management equal to state’

There are over 88.41 lakh voters enrolled for the GBA polls, in line with the most recent voter draft record. Polling shall be held after 25 Could.

“The GBA is essential for us. After the Mumbai elections, the subsequent goal is profitable the 5 firms in Bengaluru. Should you achieve management of Bengaluru, it’s like holding the reins of all the state,” BJP’s M.Goutham Kumar instructed ThePrint.

Kumar was the final mayor of the erstwhile BBMP whose time period resulted in September 2020.

Aside from the status, Bengaluru presents the BJP with appreciable benefits. For the reason that variety of wards have practically doubled, all political events may give alternatives to extra of its employees and retain individuals somewhat than lose them to rivals.

Regardless of being lowered from 104 to 66 meeting seats in 2023, the celebration has had a superb observe file in Bengaluru. Of the 28 meeting seats within the metropolis, the BJP gained 16 and lowered the Congress to only 12. Extra particularly, it received 46.44 % of the vote share as towards 40.72 % of the Congress. Within the 2024 common elections, the BJP gained all 4 parliamentary seats in Bengaluru.

“If the individuals need good work, growth of Bengaluru, they need to vote for Congress. If they only need god, faith and BJP’s lies, then they will vote for them. Can the BJP declare even one achievement in its time period between 2010 and 2020? They simply left town with extra money owed,” Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy instructed ThePrint.

The state election fee has introduced that the upcoming polls can be performed utilizing poll papers, a transfer criticised by the BJP.

On Tuesday, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge referred to as out the BJP for dubbing the poll paper transfer as an indication of financial and technological backwardness. He went on to wonder if superior democracies corresponding to Japan have been “underdeveloped” and “tech-weak” going by that yardstick.

BJP claims that going again to poll papers is an indication of financial and technological backwardness.

By that logic, are the USA, Germany, Japan, UK, France and a number of other different superior democracies “underdeveloped” and “tech-weak” just because they proceed to make use of paper ballots and…

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) January 20, 2026

For the BJP, a victory would give them one other alternative to nook Rahul Gandhi and the Congress argument relating to voter record and EVM (digital voting machine) manipulation after election defeats.

Final August, Rahul launched the ‘Vote Chori’ marketing campaign from Bengaluru, alleging vital voter fraud in Mahadevapura, a big constituency which homes main IT firms in addition to hides town’s darkish underbelly.

The Mahadevapura findings gave the Congress and its allies with seemingly tangible proof of alleged voter record manipulation, notably after earlier failed makes an attempt to nook the BJP on EVM ‘fraud’.

One of many election points is unlawful Bangladeshi immigrants even because the Congress authorities has carried out crackdowns. The BJP accuses the ruling celebration of sheltering them in addition to absorbing them in sectors like waste administration in Bengaluru. The town homes a large variety of migrants–white and blue collar–who work in IT, aviation and different firms in addition to the low-skilled engaged in menial companies.

A piece of the BJP had lent its help to pro-Kannada outfits, who contend that surveys might probably reveal migrant-heavy localities electing non-natives as their representatives.

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Additionally Learn: Whose survey is it anyway? Congress, BJP lock horns over report on Karnataka voters’ belief in EVMs

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Congress card

The BJP believes that Bengaluru, though a largely Vokkaliga-heavy metropolis, will vote with out a lot consideration to the Congress authorities’s ensures. Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, has been attempting to mobilise help from the group with the promise that he would exchange Siddaramaiah because the CM.

However the celebration’s good election observe file in addition to alliance with the JD(S) might help it negate Shivakumar’s affect.

“There are some border areas like Yeshwanthpura, Dasarahalli and different locations which have a excessive focus of Vokkaligas…few components they (Vokkaligas) undoubtedly have some affect. However most of city Vokkaliga voters have been in favour of the BJP,” a senior BJP chief instructed ThePrint.

Although the 2 allies are but to make clear on their positions on their alliance plans for the upcoming GBA polls, the JD(S) is eyeing to regain misplaced floor in Bengaluru and different components. It has misplaced vital floor in Bengaluru during the last decade, together with Ok.Gopalaiah to the BJP in 2019 defection drama and Zameer Ahmed Khan becoming a member of the Congress. In truth, the JD(S) is with out elected representatives in Bengaluru.

However the BJP hopes that its alliance, very like in Bengaluru Rural within the Lok Sabha polls, will give it the required help from the Vokkaligas, who largely are land-owning class within the capital.

To mitigate the excessive value of its ballot ensures, the Congress authorities has raised costs of commodities and important companies to boost capital.

“No matter they’ve carried out is towards all sections of society. All the pieces from growing costs for water, energy, property taxes, petrol… There may be additionally cancellation of BPL playing cards, elevating value of public transportation, extra prices for e-Khata…,” Ashwath Narayan, a former BJP deputy CM and the MLA from Malleshwaram, instructed ThePrint.

However, the BJP is cautious of the latest measures taken by the federal government, accusing it of redrawing ward boundaries to its personal profit and cut up celebration strongholds.

“They’ve gone for poll papers, making ready their very own voters record and misuse the state equipment to control voters,” Narayan stated. “All these are harmful precedents.”

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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Additionally Learn: Kharge’s son-in-law has spent 0 MPLAD funds, but to suggest any growth work as Karnataka MP

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