Since the turn of the millennium, the BJP has remained undefeated in all three seats across Bengaluru city. BJP has not lost Bengaluru North since 2004, Bengaluru Central since 2009, and mostly importantly, it has enjoyed an uninterrupted winning streak in Bengaluru South since 1991.
Will the tide turn in 2024? What makes the Bengaluru voter tick? Does the Modi wave still hold sway over the urban electorate?
India’s IT capital has been known to vote differently in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
In Bengaluru City North, South and Central, the BJP has not lost a Lok Sabha election since the 2000s. The only exception to this is Bengaluru Rural (formerly Kanakapura) where sitting Congress MP DK Suresh has held the seat since 2014.
In the 2023 State polls, of the 32 Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, the Congress won 16, the BJP 15 and the JD(S) 1. While this may suggest a steady support base for the Congress in the region, luck and numbers haven’t favoured the party in the Parliamentary polls.
To give us a better reading of the politics and electorate of this urban battlefield, we have with us this week, Bengaluru bureau’s Deputy City Editor, KV Aditya Bharadwaj.
Reporting: Nalme Nachiyar and KV Aditya Bharadwaj
Video and production: Ravichandran N.
