Water shortages, traffic aggravate India's Bengaluru as it votes

BENGALURU — Dire water shortages, flooding, gridlocked roads and poor civic facilities have become major issues in Bengaluru city, residents in India's tech hub said as they voted on Friday (April 26) in a general election that is otherwise focused on jobs, inflation and Hindu nationalism.

The southern city of about 14 million people, capital of Karnataka state and often called "India's Silicon Valley", voted in the summer heat in the second phase of the world's largest election, set to go on until June 1.

Bengaluru is home to thousands of startups and global firms from Walmart to Alphabet's Google and is showcased as a symbol of an ambitious, rising India. But unplanned growth and creaking infrastructure is blotting the booming city.

"The water shortage is not a surprise for us, locals. We knew it's coming. Nothing on rain water harvesting has been done by either the central or the state government," Prasanna Raghavan, an IT professional said after casting his vote.

"My hope is, whoever comes to power prioritises climate issues."

The city's problems have featured prominently in the campaign, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Congress — which governs Karnataka state — are pitted against each other.

"The Congress government in Karnataka has turned the tech city into a tanker city, and left it to the tanker mafia," Modi said in Bengaluru last week, referring to the water tankers being used after taps dried up.

Congress blamed BJP, which ruled the state before Congress, for the water scarcity.

"The water crisis in Bangalore is not just a problem; it's a wake-up call. As your MP (member of parliament), I see it as a challenge we must confront head-on," Rajeev Gowda,