BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge minister DK Shivakumar, who is aspiring to become Chief Minister of Karnataka, is trying to turn elections to the five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) into a personal springboard.
With Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launching the ‘vote chori’ campaign from Bengaluru, alleging malpractices in the LS polls, especially in Mahadevapura assembly constituency, Shivakumar appears to have grabbed it as an opportunity to test his mettle in the polls.
Interestingly, AICC member Sunil Kanugolu, who had worked as a strategist for the party’s thumping victory during the 2023 assembly polls, will be the coordinator for ministers in Bengaluru. Kanugolu’s team, which has been on duty in Kerala for the assembly polls, will soon land in the GBA, according to sources.
In a strategic move, MLCs who have some hold on the constituencies have been appointed to 10 assembly constituencies, to coordinate with ministers: D Srinivas (KR Puram), Ramoji
Gouda (Bommanahalli), Govindaraj (Dasarahalli), Nazir Ahmed (Chickpet), MR Seetharam(Yelahanka), Sudham Das (CV Raman Nagar), Ramesh Babu (Malleswaram), UB Venkatesh (Basavanagudi), Saleem Ahmed (Mahalakshmi Layout) and Nagaraj Yadav (Mahadevapura) and former deputy mayor L Srinivas (Padmanabha Nagar).
After a discussion with AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, Shivakumar has geared up for an organisational exercise. He set up a committee with his confidant and KPCC working president GC Chandrashekar and RS member as the convener, to oversee preparations and organisational works for forthcoming polls to the five corporations. His other confidant, former IYC chief BV Srinivas, is co-convener.
Party leaders in Bengaluru, including MLAs, defeated candidates in the 2024 LS polls and 2023 assembly polls, all District Congress Committee presidents and office-bearers of the party, including AICC secretaries, have been appointed members of the committee. Kanugolu is also part of the committee.
Shivakumar had spearheaded the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act 2024, and got BBMP divided into five corporations. Under Section 35 of the Act, there is a provision to go for polls using ballots instead of EVMs. The Supreme Court has given directions to complete delimitation of wards by November 1, and fix reservation by November 30, which means polls for GBA are imminent.