Congress and BJP workers wage a flex war over Metro credit
BENGALURU: A high-stakes political rivalry has spilled onto the streets of Bengaluru, transforming the city’s thoroughfares into a battleground of visual propaganda as a fierce “flex war” erupts between workers of the ruling Congress party and the opposition BJP, following a contentious credit war over the expansion of Namma Metro.
The political flashpoint emerged ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in the capital to inaugurate the newly completed 7.5-kilometer Pink Line stretch and lay foundation stones for multi-crore urban infrastructure projects. Along the entire official motorcade route stretching from Dairy Circle to the main inauguration venue, cadres from both political parties have aggressively erected competing flex banners, large cutout posters, party flags, and decorative buntings to project political dominance and champion their respective leadership.
BJP workers lined the key transit corridors with saffron flags, banners, and large-format portraits celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and highlighting central government contributions to urban development. In direct response, local Congress workers flooded the same thoroughfares with high-visibility flex banners, posters, and party buntings honoring former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and present Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, spotlighting state-led funding and administrative execution in urban transit projects.
The dueling displays follow weeks of intense public jousting between state and central leaders regarding funding ratios, credit attribution, and policy implementation for Namma Metro. While the BJP attributes major infrastructural leaps to central financial backing and Prime Minister Modi’s vision, the Congress administration insists that state equity sharing and local governance initiatives drive Karnataka’s urban growth. As security forces and municipal authorities monitor the competing political installations along the high-profile route, the vibrant street-level clash underscores the intensifying political polarization ahead of the upcoming Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections.
