Karnataka legislative polls are yet to be officially commenced due to the COVID-19 threat, but the biggies are already preparing for the important race. BJP, Congress and JDS are making preparations for the upcoming zilla and taluk panchayat and BBMP polls, in a bid to race ahead of each other and gain majority in the state legislative council.
Since the COVID-19 situation is easing up in the state, the political parties are not waiting for the official date for the polls to start building the foundation for their campaigns. The elections for the urban local bodies are likely to be held later this year or early next year, depending on the COVID situation.
BJP aims for majority
BJP currently holds 32 seats in a 75-member upper house and depends on JDS with 12 seats in order to push through its bills in the upper house. If BJP wins six more seats, they will have majority in the house. Aiming for that, BJP has started the preparations even as the state executive committee meeting led by CM BS Yediyurappa discussed measures to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level. Yediyurappa stressed that ensuring good performance in local body elections will help the party do well in the bigger Assembly elections in 2023.
"Winning more seats in zilla and taluk panchayats will not only help the party strengthen its base at the grassroots level, but also prove to be an advantage in the 2023 assembly," Yediyurappa had said last month.
BJP already has scheduled district and mandal committee meetings this month and a state-level convention of GP presidents and vice-presidents in Bengaluru in October. The BJP workers as well as leaders are asked to focus on strengthening the organisation and create awareness about the various initiatives taken by the state and central governments.
Congress and JDS in the fray
BJP might be short of majority in the House, it will be an uphill task for Congress to snatch power from the party in power. However, local bodies elections have favoured Congress in the past and the opposition party has started preparing for the upcoming elections.
"Considering that we did well in seven out of 10 local body elections that were held recently, we expect to do well in the Council polls too," senior Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad had said.
The JDS is also in the fray and confident to retain all four seats in the polls by letting Appaji Gowda, C R Manohar, Sunilgouda B Patil and Sandesh Nagraj to contest again.
The parties are lobbying for the 25 seats already, even though elections to local bodies are a few months away.
