MYSURU: With the results of the Gram Panchayat elections trickling in, the political parties are in the race to claim the biggest success ever to show that they have a formidable presence in the rural areas. Although these elections are not contested on party symbols, the political parties have started projecting figures based on the feedback from the ground.
The ruling BJP has claimed that the candidates backed by it have won more than 48 per cent of the seats in the elections held for 91,339 seats in 5,762 panchayats. The claims may not be exaggerated as many identify with the ruling party expecting smooth functioning and grants for local bodies. The success in the village panchayat polls is crucial for the political parties to fight the ensuing Taluk and Zilla panchayat elections. The BJP, which has a limited presence in the rural hinterlands, is looking to build on the success of its party-backed candidates.
BJP spokesperson G Madhusudhan claims that the party, for the first time, has shed its urban tag and has made inroads into rural pockets. He said he is confident that they will put up a much impressive show in the Taluk and Zilla panchayat polls as people have lost hope in the opposition parties.
For the Congress, the elections are crucial as it has a strong rural base and had the highest numbers in the previous term. The Congress wanted to come back strongly after its worst defeat in the RR Nagar and Sira assembly bypolls. It wants to gear up for the Taluk and Zilla Panchayat polls, which will be held on party symbols. The Congress claims that the farmers have found these elections a perfect opportunity to teach the BJP a lesson for its ‘anti-farmers policies’.
Opposition leader Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP was trying to lure the Congress-backed candidates by offering money or threatening them as it was frustrated that it could not win the hearts of rural India.
The JDS too claims that its party-backed candidates have done extremely well in their traditional belt and also in many other districts. However, JDS leader Sa Ra Mahesh said that in many panchayats, candidates supported by the party were rivals. “We took a neutral stand as they all belong to our party,” he added.