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Rainbow Drive Layout on Sarjapur Road was inundated following overnight rains in Bengaluru on September 1, 2022. This monsoon, rain is conspicuous by its absence.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
A long dry spell in the midst of the monsoon season has kept floods and potholes at bay but Bengaluru is likely heading towards a drinking water crisis, which is already apparent in the outer zones.
Given there is no flooding and potholes, the ruling Congress feels that it has an edge in the upcoming civic polls, which are expected to be held in December later this year. Congress leaders are hopeful of capitalising on implementation of the five guarantee schemes and the Brand Bengaluru campaign.
On the other hand, BJP leaders are of the opinion that the drinking water problem emanating from the Cauvery dispute will work to its advantage in the civic elections. The other topic that the opposition party is counting on is the halting of development activities in Bengaluru.
In 2015, backed by the JD(S), the ruling Congress enjoyed a majority in the BBMP council and got its candidate elected as mayor. At that time, the Congress had only 76 of 198 seats in the BBMP council.
After the fall of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in 2019, JD(S) switched sides to the BJP, and the council ended its term with a BJP mayor.
Abdul Wajid, former Congress councillor, said the pothole issue influences young voters in Bengaluru and floods drive affected people away from the government of the day.
Till August 21, rainfall deficit in Bengaluru Urban district was 17% and the figure in Bengaluru Rural was 20%.
“Given deficit rains, the city is not afflicted by potholes or floods. Moreover, the government’s guarantee schemes will favour the ruling party during the civic polls. In the coming summer, drinking water could be a problem, but the government will strategise to maintain adequate supply. The city needs 24 tmcft of water. People are hoping for rains in the coming days,” the former councillor said.
BJP Bengaluru South district president and former councillor N.R. Ramesh said, “The government releasing water to Tamil Nadu had upset people of the State, especially in Bengaluru. The water was released for the selfish interests of the INDIA alliance, of which both Congress and DMK are a part. The Congress government has failed to consider the drinking water needs of Bengaluru and Karnataka. People will teach a befitting lesson. People have already begun to experience acute drinking water crisis in the outer zones of Bengaluru.”
In the recently concluded May 2023 Assembly polls, BJP won most of the constituencies beyond the Outer Ring Road while Congress found favour among people in the core areas of the city.
“We hope that it may rain in the coming days to alleviate the possible drinking water crisis,” Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said. He pointed out that potholes is one of the factors that influences voters, and so does flooding. “Rather than saying lack of rain kept these issues away from the public eye, it is right to say that the government’s work towards solving these issues will help the party win the BBMP polls,” he said.
However, the floods of 2022, that mostly affected the IT corridor spread across K. R. Puram and Mahadevapura Assembly constituencies, did not have much of an impact in the Assembly polls.
Even though BJP feared anti-incumbency against its 3-time Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali and gave the ticket to his wife, she won by a comfortable margin.
Byrathi Basavaraj, who was Urban Development Minister in the BJP government, retained neighbouring K. R. Puram segment with a comfortable margin.
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