24x7 Power, Drinking Water: Bengaluru Gets Its Own Manifesto From The BJP

Bengaluru: With just four days to go for elections, the BJP in Karnataka has released a manifesto specifically targeting the city of Bengaluru, and the votes of its residents. From a promise of 24x7 power and drinking water supply, to a tree for every citizen, the BJP is certainly hoping its promises will help the party for a good performance in the city's 28 Assembly seats. 

Karnataka's capital has been the focus of much attention for the many infrastructure challenges it has been facing - and which the authorities have not seem to be able to handle - from traffic, garbage and polluted lakes. And at election time, the city with its millions of voters is ripe for the making of promises. 

Ananth Kumar, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers and the BJP MP from Bengaluru South said, "Bengaluru is mini-Bharat. Bengaluru has more than one crore population. It is not only an IT capital, a BT capital, it is an aerospace capital, it is the capital of Science and Technology also. It is the fastest growing city in the continent of Asia. Bengaluru's challenges and problems are unique... And Bengaluru also generates 70 per cent of Karnataka's total revenue. Therefore, Bengaluru merits a different manifesto, a separate manifesto."

The promises made include new legislation for a Bengaluru Metropolitan Regional Governance Act and greater involvement of citizens in managing the city. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also addressed rallies in the city in which he highlighted the civic woes - and claimed the BJP would fix them. But his harsh descriptions of the city drew sharp responses.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, said, "The Prime Minister called the city a garbage city instead of a garden city. He called a sin city, a crime city. These are insults that the citizens of Bangalore must not accept... The population has grown tremendously and the pressures on roads, water supply, sewage have been immense... But instead of promoting the fair name of one of India's most glorious cities, a city that has attracted more foreign investment than any other Indian city, the PM is insulting the city."

Citizens do know that promises may sound good but it is all about delivery. One promise is Nirbhaya Bengaluru CCTV Kangaavalu - Face recognition cameras across the city.

One young woman voter told NDTV, "I think there should be someone actively monitoring the CCTV camera footage, and taking action immediately otherwise, it isn't going to make a difference. We already have a lot of CCTV cameras, but it will only make a difference if action is taking place."

Another said, "I think the zero tolerance on land encroachers is nice because a lot of rich people encroach on poor people's land and sit... They need to do what they say instead of just making false promises."

Karnataka votes this Saturday and results will be declared next Tuesday.