Lok Sabha Elections 2024: In Bengaluru South, BJP's Tejasvi Surya Takes On Karnataka Congress Minister's Daughter Sowmya Reddy

New Delhi: The current Member of Parliament and Chief of the BJP youth wing, Tejasvi Surya, is hoping for re-election at the esteemed Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency. However, the competition seems stiff as Congress projects Sowmya Reddy who is the daughter of the incumbent Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Sowmya previously served as an MLA from Jayanagar. She narrowly lost the Assembly elections last year by a margin of only 16 votes. 

Sowmya Reddy (Congress)

In an effort to challenge the BJP's dominance, the ruling Congress in Karnataka is going all in to support Sowmya. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar has come out and backed the candidate with full support.

The Congress is relying on its five guarantees. As Sowmya is the daughter of the Transport Minister, she highlights the 'Shakti' guarantee, which enables women to travel for free on non-luxury government buses statewide. During recent roadshows, Sowmya engaged with women voters, and discussed about their bus travel experiences. 

During her campaign, Sowmya also emphasizes the other four guarantees: 'Gruha Lakshmi', 'Gruha Jyoti', 'Yuva Nidhi', and 'Anna Bhagya'. She contrasts the promises with the BJP's tenure, questioning which version of 'Achchhe Din' voters prefer.

Tejasvi Surya (BJP) 

Like other BJP leaders, Surya highlights the advancements made by the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership over the past decade in his interactions with voters. "Ten years ago, when you look at the state of our economy, the white paper very clearly mentions in detail the state of the country's economy. We were counted among the most fragile economies in the world. Today, we are one of the top five economies. This journey from fragile five to top five captures how our institutions were strengthened," Surya said.

Bengaluru South Lok Sabha Seat 

Bengaluru South is the constituency with a significant Brahmin population. Spanning eight Assembly constituencies, Bengaluru South has been a stronghold for the BJP since 1991. In the 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP secured victories in five constituencies while the Congress claimed three. Notably, the Congress has only won here once since 1977, when the late former Chief Minister R Gundu Rao emerged victorious in the 1989 elections.