Siddaramaiah, who was chief minister then, during the launch of Shakthi, free bus rides for women scheme
Nandini milk is dearer by Rs 8 a litre, curd by Rs 14 a litre, and bus fares have gone up between 35% in Bengaluru and 23% across the state. Bengaluru: Chief minister DK Shivakumar is pushing through a string of hikes at a time when households are already battling inflation. A revision in property registration fee is in the offing.
Shivakumar’s thinking appears to be that hard decisions are better taken now than closer to the 2028 assembly elections. Any fresh rise in household expenses in 2027 could impact Congress in the polls. Nearly 80% of the corporations’ spending goes on diesel and staff. Diesel has risen by Rs 10.47 a litre in 2026, and fuel alone costs about Rs 5,694 crore a year. “They were the centrepiece of Congress’ campaign in 2023 and have created a large beneficiary base, especially among women.
He said a white paper on how much operational costs have risen after the diesel hike and how much is pending under Shakti will expose the govt’s claims. “Withdrawing the guarantees is not an option for Shivakumar,” said MN Patil, political commentator. He hopes people will have forgotten the hikes by then. Transport minister Byrathi Suresh blamed rising diesel prices, salaries, dearness allowance and maintenance costs. But Union minister HD Kumaraswamy suggested it was more. CAG too has warned that without better targeting and rationalisation of subsidies, the guarantees in their present form could strain state finances. Scaling them down would hand BJP and JD(S) a charge of broken promises. It must now protect the guarantees while asking consumers to pay more for essentials. The first verdict could come in GBA and panchayat polls, where transport, food and housing costs directly hit household budgets of voters.