BJP-ruled corporation wards get richer

Bengaluru: The budgetary allocation to corporation wards and Assembly constituencies favoured by the previous JD(S)-Congress government in the state is being trimmed by the current BJP government. The budget of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that was recently approved by the state Cabinet demonstrates this.

After coming to power last month, chief minister BS Yediyurappa issued an order withholding the BBMP budget. He said it had not received Cabinet approval. Last week, after ministers took charge, the new Cabinet approved it after cutting down the budget outlay from Rs 12,957 crore to Rs 11,648 crore.

The government defended the revised outlay citing BBMP’s fiscal health. “Despite poor receipts, the municipal body has been issuing job cards and taking up development works. This has resulted in a huge pendency of contractors’ bills and increased financial burden on the municipal body,” the government said.


More importantly, the new government reallocated Rs 564 crore. A copy of the revised budget available with ET shows that the amount has been allocated to the BJP-ruled wards and constituencies. For instance, an allocation of Rs 3 crore to Manorayana Palya (with a Congress corporator) to drill borewells and provide drinking water has been reduced to Rs 1 crore. The remaining amount has been kept under the head reallocation. Also, Rs 15 crore earlier granted to the BTM Layout Assembly constituency for development of parks has been reduced to Rs 10 crore.

The allocation to even mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun’s Jayanagar ward has been reduced. In the previous budget, Rs 20 crore was granted for the construction of a building in her ward, but in the revised budget, the amount has been reduced to Rs 5 crore.

As much as Rs 125 crore of the Rs 564 crore has been reallocated to Assembly segments with BJP MLAs. As much as Rs 100 crore has been allocated to the Bengaluru city development minister’s discretionary grants to carry out special comprehensive development work. Many other grants have been given to BJP-ruled wards for special development works.

BJP corporator BS Satyanarayana justified the reallocation. He said there had been an imbalance in fund allocation since 2013. “After a long time, BJP-ruled wards and constituencies have got some funds. Since this is the last term of the council, we are hoping that it will help us carry out works,” he said.

The Congress and JD(S) corporators, too, have quietly accepted the reallocation. They say it is “natural” for any government to give a major share to wards ruled by its party.