Political rivalries clash over Karnataka’s Bidadi township project

The escalating political duel between Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy over the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), popularly known as the Bidadi township project, is much more than just a tussle about land acquisition. It reflects a broader contest for political dominance in Karnataka’s Old Mysore region, where both leaders are seeking to shape the political narrative ahead of the local body elections and the 2028 Assembly polls.

The immediate trigger has been the government’s decision to proceed with the township project on Bengaluru’s outskirts. The project envisages acquiring about 9,600 acres across 25 villages in the Bengaluru South district. Both leaders, who belong to the influential land-owning Vokkaliga community, have sought to position themselves as defenders of farmers and the region’s agrarian identity.

Mr. Shivakumar has pointed out repeatedly that it was Mr. Kumaraswamy who had conceived the township project during his tenure as Chief Minister in 2006, while the JD(S) leader has charged the Congress government with attempting to acquire fertile agricultural land.

However, the confrontation is rooted in a long-standing rivalry between the two principal Vokkaliga leaders, whose political fortunes are closely tied to the Old Mysore belt.

The region remains one of Karnataka’s most decisive electoral battlegrounds. Although the Congress made significant gains there in the 2023 Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-JD(S) alliance continues to regard it as a JD(S) stronghold. Consequently, every major issue — from irrigation to land acquisition — assumes political significance as both parties compete for rural and semi-urban voters.

For the Congress, weakening the JD(S) in the region is critical to consolidating its electoral gains. For the JD(S), opposing the township is central to reinforcing its “pro-farmer” credentials. The agitation has expanded beyond landowners, with farmers’ organisations joining the protests, making it harder for the government to dismiss them as politically motivated.

Long-standing rivalry

Recognising the widening social and political dimensions of the agitation, Mr. Shivakumar has announced a committee to re-examine the project. The move appears to be a political balancing act — defusing public anger without abandoning what the government considers an important urban planning initiative. Although the Chief Minister has insisted that the township is “not my dream project”, he has continued to defend its planning rationale, arguing that Bengaluru requires orderly expansion.

The dispute has since led to personal attacks. Mr. Kumaraswamy has questioned the Chief Minister’s accumulation of wealth over the past two decades, while posters targeting the JD(S) leader and his family have appeared in the notified villages. Congress leaders have portrayed his opposition as stemming from political insecurity over the rise of another influential Vokkaliga leader.

Both sides have crafted competing narratives. Mr. Shivakumar has released official records to argue that the project has enjoyed continuity across successive governments and that the present opposition is politically selective. Mr. Kumaraswamy, however, maintains that the current government alone is accountable for the proposed acquisition and cannot evade responsibility by citing decisions of previous administrations. These positions allow each leader to appeal to different constituencies, one emphasising planned urbanisation, the other championing farmers’ rights.

The rivalry between Mr. Shivakumar and the family of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda stretches back across four decades. After losing to Mr. Gowda in the erstwhile Sathanur Assembly constituency in 1985, Mr. Shivakumar defeated Mr. Kumaraswamy there in 1999. Now, the renaming of Ramanagara as the Bengaluru South district, Mr. Shivakumar’s call to JD(S) workers to join the Congress, and the party’s recent setback in the Legislative Council elections have further sharpened the rivalry.

Can Karnataka balance economic growth and farmers’ rights?

Bengaluru’s global ambitions have led to a surge in proposals for townships- building cities within or around the IT city. This includes the Bidadi AI township, KWIN City, SWIFT City, and Quantum City, Defence and Aerospace Park, 11 residential layouts along the Peripheral Ring Road – all part of the vision towards Building Tomorrow’s Bengaluru. Is there a middle ground that balances economic growth and protects farmers’ rights? How do you build townships without land acquisition? Are there examples that the Karnataka govt can seek to emulate?
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The Hindu

The BJP-JD(S) alliance’s decision to launch a padayatra against the GBIT before the State legislature’s monsoon session suggests that the rivalry is only likely to intensify.