The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Bangaloreans rally behind Congress, JD(S)

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 16, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bangaloreans rally behind Congress, JD(S)

By Govind D. Belgaumkar

BANGALORE, MAY 15. The battered Congress may find solace in the fact that more Bangaloreans rallied behind it and the Janata Dal (Secular) — both with a secular image — in the recent Assembly elections than in the 1999 polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United) combine has become less popular. The city has 12 Assembly constituencies.

While the Congress was the biggest beneficiary having secured 1.06 lakh more votes than in 1999, the increase for the Janata Dal (S) was 51,000 votes. The BJP-Janata Dal (U) combine became poorer by about 20,000 votes.

The Congress got 3.85 lakh votes in the 12 Assembly segments in 1999 as against 4.91 lakh votes secured in 2004. The BJP and the Janata Dal (U), which did not have an alliance in 1999, together polled 4.13 lakh votes as against 3.92 votes in 2004. The Janata Dal (S) secured 89,649 votes in 1999 as against 1.41 lakh votes in 2004.

And now the question arises as to where did the additional votes secured by the Congress and the Janata Dal (S) come from despite the less number of electors choosing to exercise their franchise this time compared to 1999.

First, the voter turnout. Though the number of registered voters went up by 1.56 lakh compared to that in 1999, the number of electors who actually turned out for polling went down by a little over 17,000. The number of voters has gone up to 21.86 lakh in 2004 from 20.29 lakh in 1999. As many as 10.83 lakh voters - constituting 53.4 per cent of the electorate - had voted in 1999. This time, only 10.66 lakh of the electorate (48.8 per cent) turned out.

The Congress and the Janata Dal (S) seem to have cut into the votes of independents and other minor political parties, which have together lost 1.54 lakh votes. They have, apparently, gained the votes of the BJP-Janata Dal (U) combine too.

So far as the share of the political parties in the electorate is concerned, the Congress got 3.5 per cent more support. It was two per cent in the case of Janata Dal (S).

The BJP-Janata Dal (U) combine lost popular support by nearly 2.5 per cent.

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