The party has performed well in Bangalore and its suburbs in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and the recent Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike elections. It wants to prove that it continues to sway the electorate in the Panchayat elections too.
Spread over six Assembly constituencies - Mahadevapura, Bytarayanapura, Yeshwanthpura, Bangalore South, Yelanhanka and Anekal - the Bangalore urban zilla panchayat geographically forms a ring around the BBMP area.
Located just outside the Bangalore agglomerate, the zilla panchayat faces the challenge of tackling problems specific to urban areas, but under the ambit of the panchayat raj system. The saffron party is going to the people claiming to have the required resources and the ability to tackle problems.
Being in power is an added advantage in civic polls. Besides, parts of Assembly constituencies of ministers Shobha Karandlaje and A Narayanaswamy and former minister Arvind Limbavali, fall under the ambit of the ZP.
Elected unopposed
The ZP has a total of 34 seats. BJP candidate Chinnabai Nagaraj has been elected unopposed from the Machohalli seat. Since the December 26 poll is expected to distinctly serve as a pointer to the popularity of the ruling party, the BJP is not leaving any stones unturned.
The party top brass have criss-crossed the length and breadth of the ZP in their campaign trail during the last few days.
The Congress, which had emerged as the leading party in the 2005 polls bagging 16 of the then 27 seats, is also making efforts to ensure that it retains its majority in the ZP. The party is going strong in Mahadevapura, where there are three ZP seats.
Lack of unity among the local BJP leaders has become an advantage to the Congress. Bytarayanapura with three ZP seats, is another Congress stronghold.
The JD(S), which has been making allegations of land and denotification scam against the Government, has made corruption charges against the ruling dispensation its main poll plank. That the party is yet to develop a voter base in many of pockets of the ZP, is its disadvantage.
The BJP is banking on winning maximum number of seats from Anekal. Four-time MLA from Anekal and present minister in the Yeddyurappa Cabinet, A Narayaswamy is popular here.
Anekal has 10 ZP seats and the saffron party is aiming to win the lion’s share of seats from this taluk.A total of four taluk panchayats - Anekal, Bangalore (North), Bangalore (South) and Bangalore (East) - fall under the jurisdiction of Bangalore urban zilla panchayat.
Highlights
Bangalore Urban Zilla Panchayat
* Total no of ZP seats: 34
* Total no of Taluk Panchayats: 4
* Total no of TP seats: 72
* Total electorate: 7,12,097
* Men: 3,91,836
* Women: 3,20,261