Buoyed by Modi ‘factor’, Tejasvi Surya sits pretty in Bangalore South

ANIMATED DEBATES, campaigns in parks, and discussions over “by-two coffees” are common sights across the Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency, where the Congress is facing an uphill battle against the BJP. While the BJP is banking on the “Mo di factor ”, the Centre’s infrastructure push and the 33- year old incumbent mp tejasv is ur ya' s “five-year report card”, the Congress is relying heavily on the momentum from its last year’ s re sounding Assembly polls victory. With an electorate of over 22 lakh, the constituency has been electing a BJP MP for the last eight consecutive times since 1996. BJP stalwart Ananth Kumar represented it six times between 1996 and 2014. In the 2019 polls, Surya defeated senior Congress leader bk ha rip ra sad by over 3.30 lakh votes.

This time, the seat will witness a fight between Surya, the national president of its youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, and the Congress’s Sowmya Reddy, who lost the 2023 Assembly polls from Jayanagar by just 16 votes.

The Congress claims the guarantees, which have benefited lakhs of people, especially women, and aided in the sustenance of middle and lower-middle class families, would help it bring an end to the BJP'S long winning streak. The BJP however appears to have an edge in five of the eight Assembly segments falling under the Lok Sabha seat.

Sowmya, who is the daughter of former minister Ramalinga Red dy, told the indian express that there was no better time to “save democracy, social fabric of the country and the Constitution”. “The Assembly results for me were shocking. I learnt that electoral outcomes can be changed illegally,”she said.

So wm ya had moved the court in may last year after, in a late night drama, the BJP’S Jayanagar Assembly candidate CK Ram am ur thy was declared as the winner amid allegations of rigging by the Congress workers, who alleged the result was “manipulated” at the last minutes by counting invalid votes.

Aiming to get the better of Surya, Sowmya claimed “people are now looking for a change and a party that delivers on its promises”.

“As a parliamentarian, Surya has been missing in action. The constituency is plagued by a variety of row, especially the Raghavendra Cooperative Bank scam. Over 200 depositors lost their lives due to the scam but the MP and Union Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) have not delivered justice,” she alleged.

However, several local Congress workers seemed less confident. “Voters are emotionally connected with him (Modi) and the BJP’S ideology.

Dismissing the allegations regarding the bank scam, Surya said around 42,000 depositors, most of which were senior citizens, faced uncertainty when the bank was defrauded as their life’s savings were at stake. “Their struggle resonated with me and I tirelessly advocated for them. The Centre promptly took action due to which Rs 753 crore was restored,” he said.

Despite his claims, the MP was forced to leave an election campaign event midway recently after many investors, who lost money in the multi-crore scam, sought answers.

The BJP exudes confidence about its “Modi card” as local leaders feel the PM enjoys popularity in most of the Assembly segments in the Bangalore South constituency, which is going to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. Even Surya’s campaign revolves around the slogan “Deshakke Modi, Dakshinakke Surya (Modi for the country, Surya for South)”

As a part of his campaign, Surya has also been highlighting the Centre’s infrastructure push, including the two new phases of the Metro and development of the 280-km Satellite Town ring Road project in the city.

He has also been highlighting the Modi government’s achievements in the health sector – the setting up of over 1,000 Jan Aushadi Kendras and the first free dialysis centre in the constituency.

Many voters seemed to be divided in their views. A few of them claimed relief from price rise due to the implementation of the Congress's guarantees by the Siddaramaiah government while some others said although Modi was an overriding factor the “big picture” should be kept in mind.

“Surya has not delivered up to expectations. Issues with regard to roads and encroachments have not been addressed despite repeated complaints,” Ramesh Madhavan, a resident of Padmanabhanagar, said.

B R Moudgal from Basavanagudi differed from Madhavan, saying he would give Surya another chance. “His intervention has expedited Metro expansion. While electoral bonds personally do not affect me, devolution of funds between the Centre and states should be addressed through a collective approach,” he said.