We failed to convince people about Cong's contribution: CM

Owning responsibility for his party’s poor show in the BBMP elections, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Congress had failed to convince the people of Bengaluru about its contributions to the City.

Interacting with the media on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said his party would analyse and examine the reasons behind its defeat. The party was expecting a simple majority but the results have come as a surprise, he said.

Siddaramaiah said the Congress had dispensed good governance in the last two years. The party appointed an administrator to the BBMP and streamlined garbage disposal, besides giving a push to developmental works in the City. Tax collection, too, had improved in the process.

The Congress was also hoping that the people would remember the rampant corruption in the Palike under the BJP, he added.

“But we have to accept the people’s verdict. However, these results are a referendum on the State government. We performed well in the gram panchayat polls, gaining dominance in 23 districts. We, however, failed to make a similar impact in Bengaluru. But as the chief minister, even if this is not a referendum, I own the responsibility for the defeat,” he said.

Justifying the party’s defeat, he said the BJP, which had performed so well in parliamentary elections, had, however, not fared well in the Assembly elections. Similar was the case with the Congress in these elections, he said.

Asked if the Congress’ negative campaigning against the BJP had led to its defeat, Siddaramaiah said the party had also spoken extensively about its own contributions to the City in its vision document and manifesto.

Dismissing speculations that the Congress’ efforts to postpone the polls had cost it dear, he said the issue was irrelevant. “If that was the case, then we should have failed miserably, which isn’t the case,” he said.

Minister for Bengaluru

Siddaramaiah said now that the BJP was back in power in the Council, the government would not neglect the City or its developmental programmes. He said though there was a district in-charge minister, he was firm on his decision to appoint a separate minister for the City.

He said that with the elections out of the way, the party would focus on the Cabinet expansion, which had been kept pending.

Krishna’s absence

When asked if senior party leader S M Krishna’s non-involvement in the electioneering had dented the party’s prospects, Siddaramaiah said KPCC president G Parameshwara had invited the veteran leader, but the latter chose to stay away for reasons known to him. He claimed that the selection of candidates was democratic.