Since 1991, the Bangalore South parliamentary constituency has stood as a stronghold for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with a notable Brahmin demographic shaping its political landscape. Over the years, it has predominantly seen representation from within the Brahmin community. Tejasvi Surya, the incumbent MP and president of the BJP’s youth wing, is vying for re-election in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, facing a formidable challenge from Sowmya Reddy of the Congress party.
Sowmya, 41, and daughter of transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, comes with a formidable political lineage, having previously served as an MLA in Jayanagar. Despite a narrow defeat in the 2023 assembly elections by a mere 16 votes, she is resolute in her determination to contest vigorously this time around.
Sowmya’s campaign focuses heavily on the Congress party’s five guarantees, notably highlighting the impact of initiatives such as the ‘Shakti’ guarantee, which enables women to travel for free on non-luxury government buses across the state. She also emphasizes other assurances such as ‘Gruha Lakshmi’, ‘Gruha Jyoti’, ‘Yuva Nidhi’, and ‘Anna Bhagya’.
Meanwhile, Tejasvi Surya banks on his track record and the developmental projects undertaken during his tenure. He underscores his efforts to enhance Bengaluru’s infrastructure and oversee the implementation of welfare schemes. Notably, he points to significant achievements such as the substantial increase in the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras, from 14 in 2019 to 132 presently, benefiting over 2 lakh customers monthly.
In addition to performance, both candidates draw on their respective community affiliations for support, with Tejasvi being a Brahmin and Sowmya an OBC.
The Bangalore South constituency comprises eight assembly segments, with the BJP securing victory in five during the 2023 assembly elections, while the Congress claimed three. Despite the BJP’s stronghold, historical data shows a solitary win by the Congress in 1989, when former Chief Minister R Gundu Rao emerged triumphant. Prior to Tejasvi Surya, the seat was held by BJP stalwart Ananth Kumar for over two decades.
On a scale of 0-100, Sowmya Reddy scored 40 points in the overall Leader Social Score (LSS). His Facebook score is 60, Instagram (16), X (61) and Digital Listening (54).
Disclaimer: Leaders Social Score (LSS) is based on Machine Learning. It is being fetched on the basis of 55 plus parameters related to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
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DNA Exclusive: Check LSS score of Sowmya Reddy, Congress candidate from South Bangalore
