Political parties fear public anger over Bengaluru rain may affect poll outcome

Apart from common citizens, the recent incessant rains in Bengaluru has also mounted troubles for political parties in the state. With assembly elections in Karnataka just seven months away, parties are concerned that the anti-incumbency and the public anger against the recent flood mismanagement may cost them heavily in elections.

The heavy rains in the city has exposed the infrastructure fault lines, resulting is massive destruction and inconveniences to common man. Many IT industry stalwarts and companies have even said that the “brand Bengaluru” has taking a hit.

The IT industry in Bengaluru bore the brunt of the heavy rains. According to some estimates, IT companies have suffered a loss of at least Rs 225 crore as workers stay stuck in traffic amidst floods. There seems to be a palpable anger among citizens who felt let down by the political leaders during the crisis.

According to some political observers and party insiders, this fear seems to be more within the ruling BJP, as the state government is being directly held responsible for the mess, in the absence of the city civic body’s elected council.

Also, 15 of the 27 MLAs from the BBMP limits are from the party, with seven of them being Ministers in the cabinet.

Though the Congress has the luxury of blaming the ruling party for the situation and may not be in the direct line of public anger, the grand old party with 11 MLAs may have to bear their share of responsibility, having governed the city and the state for decades in the past.

Also, several Congress legislators from the city are those who have served as MLAs and Ministers in the past, and there might be an anti-incumbency factor against them.

With growing public anger, a political slugfest has erupted between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in the state, blaming each other for the city’s infrastructural mismanagement.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai himself led the charge for the BJP blaming the previous Congress governments’ ‘maladministration’ for the deluge.

He has accused the grand old party of giving permissions for construction activities “right-left-centre” in the lake areas, on tank bunds and buffer zones, during its regime.

Hitting back, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, accusing the ruling BJP in Karnataka of trying to shift blame on the Congress to hide its failures, urged the government to come out with a white paper regarding clearing of encroachments on storm water drains in the city, as he claimed that “brand Bengaluru” is getting affected.

(Inputs from PTI)