Congress outdoes BJP in Karnataka’s urban polls

The elections were held on December 27 to 1,185 wards in 58 urban local bodies, including five city municipalities, and 59 gram panchayats across 19 districts. Gram panchayat elections are not fought on party lines, though political parties often back candidates.

The BJP is known to usually do well in urban areas, and the Congress party’s upsurge has unnerved the ruling party hierarchy, especially when the government is battling a crisis to its public image.

The casualties for the BJP include a town municipal council and a town panchayat in chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s home district Haveri. This comes as another setback for Bommai as the party lost the Hangal assembly seat in the October 30 by-election.

About half a dozen ministers have failed to win in local bodies in their own constituencies. In some districts, supporters of ministers have won, contesting as independent candidates. The Janata Dal(S) also ceded whatever little ground it had.

“Clearly, this is a wake-up call for us,” a senior BJP leader told ET, not willing to be identified.

The CM, however, did not agree with a suggestion that the BJP had not done well in seats where minorities were dominant. He told reporters in Bengaluru that in the first place, the BJP was not very strong in some of those seats. AICC general secretary RS Surjewala said the Congress vote share at 42% indicated “the huge unpopularity” of the BJP government. KPCC chief DK Shivakumar said the results showed people were desiring a change in the government.