With Karnataka Council polls around the corner, parties go all out to garner votes

When JD(S) candidate H M Ramesh Gowda started campaigning for the December 10 Legislative Council elections, his biggest challenge was to convince his voters about the relevance of an MLC.

“What do MLCs do? You claim that you are also legislators, but we don’t see you in the Assembly. Where do you sit? How can we vote for you to become MLCs? These were the questions I faced from gram panchayat members,” Gowda recounts.

Gowda is contesting for the MLC polls from the Bengaluru Rural Local Authorities constituency. “They can relate to MLAs, but are unfamiliar with MLCs. We then tell them that we, too, get funds like MLAs, which can be used for the development of panchayats,” Gowda says.

With the Council polls for 25 local authorities seats getting closer, all three political parties have drummed up their campaign, with a special focus on gram panchayat members as they constitute a majority of the voters. Voters of the local authorities seats include gram panchayat members, MLAs, MPs and members of local bodies such as zilla panchayat and taluk panchayats.

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The election is crucial for the BJP to win a majority in the upper house. The BJP needs to win at least 13 seats in the December 10 election for a majority in the 75-member Council. This will help the ruling party have its way when it comes to passage of Bills.

The high octave campaigning for these polls is akin to any general election. The BJP has roped in all its ministers. Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj, for example, is leading the efforts in Davangere and Chitradurga. “I’m visiting every gram panchayat for campaigning,” he says. The party has identified ‘Page Pramukhs’ whose job is to interact with gram panchayat members and talk to them about the significance of the MLC. There are also taluk and district-level teams.

The opposition parties are making similar efforts. The JD(S) has teams at gram panchayat, taluk and district-level, with MLAs supervising them, says MLC candidate Appaji Gowda.

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The Congress, on its part, has appointed senior leaders as observers in every Council constituency. That the panchayats are not getting adequate funds, delay in honorarium and poor implementation of MNREGS are part of its poll plank, according to KPCC Working President Saleem Ahmed, who is himself a candidate.

Money is being spent like never before, candidates say. According to one candidate, “Voters are being promised anywhere between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per vote. The pressure on candidates to beat such promises is unprecedented.”

Given that these elections aren’t fought on party symbols, parties are also resorting to internal understandings to maximise their gains. The Congress and JD(S), for instance, have joined hands in Chikkamagalur constituency as the JD(S) has not fielded anyone here.

The outcome of these Legislative Council polls will be crucial for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai who has had mixed electoral results since he took office, especially the Hangal assembly bypoll defeat that was demoralising.

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