Congress MLA from Karnataka’s Magadi constituency H C Balakrishna stoked a controversy Wednesday after what he said meant “development works will be carried out only in villages which will vote for the party” in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Responding to questions on the BJP-JD(S) alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, he asserted that the alliance will benefit Congress and added that the JD(S) has been used to divide Congress votes. Subsequently, he said, “Our government has come to power. I request people; as you know elections are held based on (vote) calculation at the booths, whichever booth casts us more votes, we will work for them in the next five years, or we will also think about it.” “Our government will be there for five years. Villages that give us a good lead, we will work for them,” he said. Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, reacting to the MLA’s remark, said there is no funds for any developmental works in the state. "This is a zero grant government," he said, adding that his government had not discriminated in releasing grants based on party lines. BJP Karnataka, in a post on X, said the MLA is displaying his arrogance by making such statements. "People are not getting guarantees properly, (and) there is no development," the party handle wrote. Balakrishna is a five-time MLA from the Magadi constituency in Ramanagara district. Earlier, he was elected for the first time on a BJP ticket in 1994 and won thrice from the constituency on a JD(S) ticket in 2004, 2008 and 2013.
