BENGALURU: Elections to 105 Urban Local Bodies across 21 districts in Karnataka will be crucial for the Congress-JD(S) coalition. Results of the August 31 ULB elections are likely to provide the groundwork for seat sharing in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls for the coalition partners. For the BJP, the polls are a reality check on where the party stands at the micro level - a structure that the saffron party is still trying to make a breakthrough into.
With 8,340 candidates contesting in 2,529 wards of town municipal councils and town panchayats and 814 contesting in 135 wards of three city municipal corporations, the ULB polls are the biggest electoral challenge that the three major parties in Karnataka are facing after the assembly polls. With eyes set on proving their individual capacities at the grassroots level, all parties have decided to contest independently.
Political scientist Prof Harish Ramaswamy observed, “The ULB elections are where parties fight to strengthen their social bases and hence choose to fight individually. Maintaining their identity at the grassroots level is important. This is a social election where they need to prove they have a foothold. The results are definitely crucial for seat sharing in Lok Sabha polls for Congress and JD(S).” He added how the elections are important for the BJP, which is yet to trickle down to the local governance level in the state.
Of the 105 ULBs going to elections are the city municipal corporations of Mysuru, Tumakuru and Shivamogga. As many as 814 candidates are in the fray to be elected to 135 wards in three CMCs, of which Congress, BJP and JD(S) have 135, 130 and 129 candidates, respectively. Also, 350 independents are in the fray. Not a single candidate has been elected unopposed, thus making way for polls on August 31 in all the 135 wards. A JD(S)-BJP coalition was in power in Mysuru and Shivamogga CMCs while a JD(S)-Congress coalition was in power in Tumakuru before being dissolved following the notification for polls.
On August 31, 102 town municipal councils and town panchayats will go to polls. So far, 29 candidates — eight from Congress, three from BJP, 16 independents and one each from JD(S) and BSP — have already been elected unopposed, leaving 8,340 candidates to fight it out in 2,529 wards of 21 districts. One ward — Ward 19 of Afzalpur town council in Kalaburagi district - has no candidates in the fray.
The elections to 105 ULBs come at a peculiar time — just three months after the assembly elections and months ahead of Lok Sabha polls. While it is unlikely to be a mood gauger for the Lok Sabha polls, the results — expected to be announced on September 3 — will be every party’s marks card on how it fares at the local level. It will also be a bargaining chip for the coalition partners when they sit down to share seats. While the Congress had swept the 2013 ULB polls, winning almost 40% of the wards, a united BJP this time hopes to win 60% of the wards. JD(S), party insiders say, is confident of retaining its wards.