Why PM Modi is holding the last leg of his campaign in Bengaluru

Post the 2018 elections, when the BJP fell short of a majority, a party leader had called and said that the final outcome could not be met because of Bengaluru city.

Cut back to 2008, when the BJP had more numbers compared to 2018. The party had won 17 of the 28 seats, while in 2018 it was 11. The party in fact did better in the city in 2013, winning 12 seats. That year the party had put up its worst show owing to B S Yediyurappa quitting the BJP and forming the KJP.

Photo Credit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The BJP understands that winning big in Bengaluru is important for its prospects in the state. This is the primary reason why the Prime Minister is undertaking the last leg of his campaign in the city. A BJP source said that the PM has a sway in the city. There are so many undecided voters in the city. In addition to this there is the younger lot and the migrants, all of whom the PM has an appeal with. Hence it only makes sense that the PM ends his campaign here, the party source also told OneIndia. Furthermore Bengaluru is India's Silicon Valley and the home to many startups. The PM holds a sway over this industry and hence the last leg of the campaign being in the capital of Karnataka makes sense for the BJP.

This is a hotly contested battle and the margins are looking very close now. In 2018 when the Congress lost Karnataka, it had managed to put up a good show in Bengaluru, winning 15 of the 28 seats. In 2013 it won 13, while in 2008, the number was at 10.

Both the BJP and Congress are influential in pockets in the city.

With the PM's rally, the BJP would look to repeat its performance in the city in the year 2019. In the Lok Sabha elections that year, the BJP won with a vote share of 55 per cent and was ahead in 22 assembly segments. The Congress on the other hand was a distant second with a vote share of 40 per cent. Moreover the Congress could secure a lead only in six assembly segments.

The BJP may have not done well in Bengaluru in 2018 when compared to its 2008 tally. However it is taking heart from the fact that the battle in 2018 was a close one in the city. In as many as 13 seats, the victory margin was less than 10 per cent. Three is also pressure on the party to perform in the city as nearly 25 per cent of the ministers are from Bengaluru. It was no different in the case of the Congress when it had formed the government in 2013 when a majority of the ministers were from the city.