BENGALURU: Considering the election trends of the past three elections in Bengaluru district, it is clear that the number of seats won by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in a decline. From 17 of the 28 seats in 2008 to 11 of the 27 seats (elections yet to be held in Jayanagar) in 2018, BJP's performance has raised a question: Is BJP losing its grip over Bengaluru urban district?
While BJP representatives admit that there has been a slight slip in the prospects of the party in the city, experts list several reasons for the below average performance of BJP.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, A Narayana, professor of Political Philosophy and Indian Politics, said that one of the main factors that helped Congress outperform BJP was the clout of the MLAs who were elected. "Congress seems to have under prepared for polls in Bengaluru. The number of seats they have won is due to the efforts of individual candidates rather than the party," he said.
These leaders, irrespective of the notion that urban areas vote for BJP, have cultivated their own vote banks which are crucial for their win, he said. He said that urban voter backing the BJP was inaccurate, as urban voters were not homogenous.
Harish Ramaswamy, political expert, said that Karnataka BJP was affected by a lot of in-house problems. "Apart from that, a larger chunk of people prefer to be entrepreneurial in attitude. Since the promises made by the BJP are not working, there must have been a disillusionment among young urban voters," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, was the lone saviour as his speeches secured some votes for the BJP. Impact of other leaders who descended in Bengaluru on the last day of campaigning was very marginal, he said.
When contacted, Ashwatnarayan, BJP spokesperson admitted that party had suffered a setback in the city and blamed it on the Congress. He alleged that in some constituencies, due to the connivance of BBMP and State government, names of many BJP voters were found missing. "This was done intentionally when Congress was in power," he said. To a question on BJP national president Amit Shah's 'Mission 25' in Bengaluru, he said that BJP was trying to win at least 20 seats in Bengaluru, but fell short.
