BJP thrashes Congress in Bangalore civic polls

By Monday noon, as crackers exploded in the air and sweet boxes did the rounds, BJP was celebrating a new chapter in its history. Of ending five decades of Congress dominance in Bangalore corporation and, in fact, as the icing on the cake, getting to rule newly-formed Greater Bangalore. As the scoreboard kept ticking, BJP leaders, who gloated over their victories in assembly and Lok Sabha elections not so long ago, rejoiced. Two citadels had crumbled — one of Congress and the other of JD(S), both of whom had threatened to join hands, albeit not openly. The result certainly showed that urban Bangalore was well within the pocket of CM B S Yeddyurappa’s party, but a more telling picture was of the gains it made in the newly-minted semi-urban areas.The results of the elections to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have placed the BJP well ahead of its rivals, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), and firmly in power for a five-year term. It has managed a simple majority – just enough to form a council of its own – which frees it of dependence on allies. At the most, fair-weather friends will be able to provide a scare or two; they are unlikely to be a real threat. The results confirm that the BJP has entrenched itself as an urban party, creating safe boroughs almost unchallenged. The clear mandate is both an opportunity and a challenge. In the former context, the BJP will be the first party to seize the reins of the BBMP, which was formed by merging the Bangalore City Corporation areas with those of seven abutting city municipal councils and one town municipal council. The challenge lies in the fact that the newly formed administrative area is huge. With 198 corporators, the BBMP Council could prove to be unwieldy; its scale is almost that of the Karnataka legislative assembly, which has an effective strength of 224. It's a timely reminder that Bangalore is no longer a minor metropolis as it was 15 years ago or so. In the past decade, in particular, there has been massive growth – something that continues to challenge urban planners – and this has been reflected in infrastructure woes. Some statistics can give an idea about the big picture: a sum of Rs 310 crore was spent on Bangalore's upkeep for 2003-04, and it grew to Rs 1,441 crore for 2008-09. The very next year, the amount soared to Rs 2,438 crore. This year, Bangalore has a budget outlay of Rs 6,700 crore and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission has a jaw-dropping Rs 21,000 crore allocation. These are not mere numbers; they are an indicator of the unrealised urban potential that can be unlocked in Bangalore.