Former BJP councillors sceptical, newer parties confident of good performance

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Karnataka government to hold civic polls by June 30. While the Congress has begun groundwork, several former BJP councillors believe the elections are unlikely to take place anytime soon. New entrants such as the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, feel they have an edge in the polls.

Padmanabha Reddy, former councillor from Kacharakanahalli, noted that there are several flaws in the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which violate Article 243R (relating to the composition of municipalities) and Article 243W (relating to the powers, authority, and responsibilities of municipalities). “Even with the draft reservations, there are issues. This election won’t happen anytime soon,” he said.

Another BJP councillor, who did not wish to be named, pointed out that offshoots of the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), B-SMILE, and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd. (BSWML), are functioning independently despite being civic-related agencies. “When councillors have issues with these companies, where should we go?” he asked, adding that these flaws could end up in court seeking the dissolution of the GBA.

Despite the confusion among his party members, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, R. Ashok, said on Monday that the BJP would hand the Congress a crushing defeat.

Abdul Wajid of the Congress countered that the Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Bill had been passed in both Houses and received the Governor’s assent. Following this, the court directed that elections be conducted at the earliest. “How can there be a problem now?” he asked.

Meanwhile, parties such as the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are confident of performing well in the polls.

Prithvi Reddy from AAP said that with smaller wards, parties such as his , which rely on door-to-door campaigning and focus on practical solutions to civic issues, have an advantage, as people can connect better with them. “People are fed up with traditional parties and are looking for an alternative, which will work well for us,” he said. He pointed to the spurt in civic works across the city just ahead of the elections, highlighting years of governance negligence.

Srikanth Narasimhan, founder of BNP, told The Hindu that the party is deeply connected to the grassroots through its work on civic issues. “We are known to people and are more connected across age groups and income classes. This factor will give us a better chance,” he said.