Image Source: NDTV.com
The Bhartiya Janata Party has released its election manifesto ahead of the Karnataka elections which go to polls on 10th May and results of which are expected to be declared on 13th May. The 48 page election manifesto titled ‘Karnataka Praja Pranalike’ included UCC and NRC among other key promises.
BJP President JP Nadda while presenting the manifesto along with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BS Yediyurappa said that only the ‘Double Engine’ model of the BJP is capable of providing growth to Karnataka. While terming the model of Congress and JD(S) as ‘trouble engine’ Nadda said that they were there for development and Congress and JS(S) were for ‘reverse gear’
The election manifesto presented by the BJP for Karnataka is divided into 5 key sets of focus areas namely ‘Anna’, ‘Abhaya’, ‘Akshara’, ‘Aarogya’ and ‘Abhivruddhi’. The manifesto with freebies for BPL, women, students and marginalized sections of society seeks to provide inclusive development with its key focus being Antyodaya and PM Narendra Modi’s goal of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Prayas’.
Internal Security
The Saffron Party while boasting itself of banning ‘PFI and other Jihadist organizations’ has promised to implement UCC with consultations from a high level committee once it comes to power back again. Also it has sought to implement National Registration of Citizens to curb out illegal immigrants. A constitution of Karnataka- State Wing against Religions Fundamentalism and Terrorism to control cases of religious violence and extremism also finds its mention in the manifesto.
Bengaluru
Image source: Istock
The party has promised a ‘State Capital Region’ tag for Bengaluru in the lines of NCR in New Delhi. This will help in development of connectivity, transportation networks and digital connectivity, the manifesto mentions.
The Party promises to develop outskirts of Bengaluru in to ‘EV city’. It has also promised to replace all the transportation buses to EV. A multi modal transportation system for connectivity and logistics is promised to be developed in Bengaluru.
Inclusive Development
Free gas cylinders will be provided to people belonging to BPL on 3 occasions of Ugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali; the party says.
‘Atal Aahara Kendra’ will be opened in every ward of Municipal Corporation to provide affordable and healthy food at nominal rates; the manifesto promised
Amidst the controversy over Nandini and Amul Dairy co-operations the party has promised to provide half liters of Nandini milk every day and 5 Kg of Shri Anna every month to families belonging to BPL.
Other key promised include
·     Development of Karnataka Institute of Technology( KIT) in lines of IIT in every district,
· Karnataka to touch 1 trillion$ economy by 2031
· 5G services roll to each and every district by 2025
· UPSC and other civil services exam aspirants are to be provided many incentives including free travel tickets while traveling to the exam centre.
· Partnership with eminent institutes for development education institutions in the state
· Transformation of Karnataka into EV hub of nation
· Allocation of 1500cr for various tourism circuits to develop Karnataka into a tourism hub
BJP won the 2019 assembly elections with BS Yediyurappa as Chief Minister. Later in 2021 Basavaraj Bommai took over as chief minister due to some internal reasons of the party. Karnataka is divided into majorly four communites namely Lingayats, Vollaligas OBCs and Muslims. Lingayats are the most important community in Karnataka politics with 77 of the total 224 MLAs belonging to the community.
To woo OBCs and other Hindu communites BJP has scrapped the 4% reservation to Muslim community and the Muslims are now included only in the EWS criteria.
No party has won successive elections in the Karnataka Assembly in the last 40 years.
