After the drubbing they received in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) — coalition government partners who contested the elections to the urban local bodies (ULBs) independently, have put up a better performance than the BJP in Old Mysore region.
Though the BJP has managed to capture power in Gundlupet Town Municipal Council (TMC) in Chamarajanagar district and emerge as the single-largest party in Nanjangud City Municipal Council (CMC) in Mysuru district, the Congress and the JD(S) have gained well in the rest of the ULBs of the region.
While the main reason for the good performance of the Congress and the JD(S) in the region in the ULB polls, held less than a week after the Lok Sabha election results were declared, has been attributed to the popularity of the local leadership and the support enjoyed by the candidates. Leaders of the two parties in the region did not rule out the possibility of the absence of an alliance in the ULB polls having helped them win the confidence of their supporters.
People vote in the Lok Sabha polls keeping an eye on the politics at the national stage while they exercise their franchise in the Assembly polls having in mind the State-level politics, said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson A.H. Venkatesh. In local body polls, the popularity of the local leadership determines the voting patterns, he said.
The absence of an alliance may also have helped the Congress and the JD(S) win the support of their followers, he said in the wake of reports that supporters of the two traditional rival parties had voted in favour of the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls after being upset over the seat-sharing arrangement.
Out of the total 221 ULB seats in the Cauvery heartland of Mysuru, Hassan, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar districts for which the elections were held on May 29, the Congress managed to prove its electoral prowess by netting 82 seats, followed by JD(S), which bagged 72 seats. The BJP came third with 47 seats.
