BENGALURU: The Congress has directed those aspiring to contest the BBMP elections to ensure a good lead for the party’s Lok Sabha candidates in their respective wards.
The party issued this direction after a meeting of its senior leaders, including AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, in the city on Wednesday night.
Confirming this, former mayor N Manjunath Reddy said Congress leaders keen on contesting the BBMP elections have been instructed to ensure the victory of the party’s candidates in Bengaluru South, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central and Bengaluru Rural constituencies. The leads they manage to get at the ward-level would help them get party tickets for BBMP elections, he added.
Echoing the same, former mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun said such decisions are necessary to strengthen the party. “Those aspiring to become corporators or MLAs from Congress should work hard to unseat the sitting BJP MPs in the city,” she added.
“This is a good decision. Some loyal party workers were ignored in the city for BBMP elections earlier and this led to resentment,” said a former Congress MLA.
“In the Rajajinagar assembly segment, MLA aspirant G Padmavathi worked hard and looked after her Prakashnagar ward as well. She helped people during COVID-19. However, senior leader DK Shivakumar ignored her and gave the party ticket to Puttanna. Those keen on contesting Assembly and BBMP elections are scared of such developments,” the former MLA said.
Elections to the BBMP Council have not been held since 2020 because of delimitation of wards and fixing quota. The previous governments did not make efforts to hold the elections. “After Lok Sabha elections, the state government should make sincere efforts to hold the BBMP elections at least by August. Without a local body, it is difficult to manage Bengaluru,” he said.