Find out how BTM Layout Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA Ramalinga Reddy (INC), K R Sridhara (BJP), Srinivas Reddy (AAP), and Janani Vathsala (KRS).
About the constituency
BTM Layout Assembly Constituency is in Bengaluru Urban district and comes within the Bengaluru South Lok Sabha Constituency. Ramalinga Reddy of the Indian National Congress is the sitting MLA and won the 2018 Karnataka Vidhana Sabha assembly election. During the delimitation exercise of 2008, BTM constituency was created with some portions of the old Jayanagar constituency (Lakkasandra Wilson Gardens etc), and parts of the erstwhile Uttarahalli constituency (including Koramangala).
BTM Constituency includes remnants of some industrial areas in Koramangala and NS Palya. In recent years, many of these lands have been converted into commercial complexes and highrise apartments. The constituency includes many historic villages like Madiwala, Koramangala, Meistrikere, Kathalipalya etc, which have now become more of PG hubs.
The constituency is monikered as the Startup Hub of Bengaluru as many early startups were incubated here. Companies such as Accenture, Bosch, Microland, Wipro etc. have their offices here. Some large educational institutions such as Christ University, and Jyothi Nivas College and government organisations like the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnataka Milk Federation, Regional Passport Office and National Games Village, belong to this constituency. It is also home to big hospitals such as St John’s Hospital.
Major waterbodies include Mestrikere and Madiwala Lake. With its proximity to Outer and Inner Ring roads, the once preferred residential area, is now a vibrant neighbourhood with malls, pubs and restaurants.
During the BBMP ward delimitation exercise the number of wards were increased to 9 wards. The new wards are: 185 – Ejipura, 186- Koramangala, 187- Adugodi, 188 – Lakkasandra, 189-Suddagunte Palya, 190 – Madiwala, 191- Jakkasandra, 192 – BTM Layout and 193 – NS Palya.
At a glance
| Constituency Name | BTM Constituency |
| Constituency No | 172 |
| Constituency Area (in sq. km) | 14.99 |
| Number of voters (Jan 2023) | 2,64,553 |
| Male voters | 1,38,299 |
| Female voters | 1,26,212 |
| Other voters | 42 |
Data for all 28 constituencies can be found here. Corresponding source: ceo.karnataka.gov.in
Key issues in the constituency
Parts of BTM Layout Constituency have been riddled with infrastructure woes for several years now. Ambitious projects were taken up simultaneously, making some parts into a war zone. Parts of the constituency are in the Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley, which receives most of the water and sewerage from central and parts of west Bengaluru.
The constituency has an amalgamation of leafy suburbs, commercial areas and slums. Each of them has their own set of issues. The suburbs are fighting for flyovers, walkability to footpaths and zoning issues due to commercialisation in residential areas. Commercial areas struggle with high rentals, parking issues, etc. Low income areas such as Rajendra nagar slum in Adugodi are struggling with alcohol and drugs. The youth are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty, lack of access to education and skill development resulting in their inability to get decent employment and mainly easy access to liquor stores and bars instead of playgrounds and parks. The quality of drinking water is also a major issue, water is supplied once in 2-3 days after midnight only, with foul smelling water. Water stored in drums often gets infested with worms within 48 hours.
Ejipura is a densely populated ward. The stormwater drain at Ejipura is perennially filled with garbage and sewage. Large scale encroachments makes it difficult to access the SWD and clean water. The much touted K100 Drain project is still a long way from completion. Parts of Ejipura, like Ashwini layout, face flooding issues during the rainy season.
Koramangala is riddled with construction and traffic snarls. Major infrastructure projects – flyover to nowhere: the infamous Ejipura-Kendriya Sadan flyover: commissioned in 2017, still remains incomplete. It has gone through 4 rounds of re-tendering in the last 6 years. Land acquisition is still in a limbo.
Most of the main roads in Koramangala are in different stages of white-topping. A fair number of interior roads have been cemented unscientifically without following TenderSURE guidelines, so are dug up constantly, largely due to the changing land use, eg., bungalows/independent houses are getting converted into 4-5 floored apartments.
Public toilets continue to be a major issue. While toilets and e-toilets were installed, most of them are closed due to maintenance issues.
Key parameters – How does this constituency fare?
*Based on their performance in each sector, constituencies are divided into three groups. High=top nine constituencies; Medium = mid nine constituencies; Low = bottom nine constituencies. A ‘High’ rating does not necessarily mean the constituency is doing well; it only means that the constituency is among the top nine constituencies for that parameter.
Schooling
| Metrics / Count | Rating |
|---|---|
| 22 Public schools: 1 school for 0.68 sq. km | Medium |
Though, BTM is among the medium-tier constituencies in terms of number of government schools, (1 school for 0.68 sq km) the quality of schools are good.
Mobility
| Metrics / Count | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0 Metro Stations | No rating |
| 51 Bus Stops: 340 stops per unit area | Medium |
| 21.15 Bus trips per 100 residents daily | High |
The number of bus trips are 55793. While the constituency is rated medium in terms of number of bus stops per sq km and high in terms of frequency of buses at these stops. The frequency of buses is because of its proximity to the IT offices on Inner ring road and Sarjapura road.
While the main roads are dotted with bus stops, the interior parts of the constituency are not being served adequately. The constituency is home to a large number of commercial areas, which attracts labour from other areas.
Citizen engagement
| Metrics / Count | Rating |
|---|---|
| Voter turnout: 2013: 53.43% 2018: 49.39% | Low |
| 8 wards held: 156 ward committee meetings in two years | Low |
| 19.5 meetings per ward | Low |
Voter turnout in the constituency declined by 16% when compared to 2013. However, 8 wards in BTM Layout constituency conducted 156 ward committee meetings scoring a low among the constituencies with just 19.5/ward committee meetings between 2020-22.
Health
We have not rated public health infrastructure as the data available was inadequate, and the data is simply presented as is.
| Metrics / Count | Rating |
|---|---|
| 5 Namma clinics | – |
| 7 Urban PHCs | – |
| 49 Anganawadis | – |
| 0 BBMP hospitals (general and maternity) | – |
Please note that the number of PHCs or Namma Clinic within a constituency is not sufficient to draw conclusions about the state of healthcare. We also need data on the availability of staff and their capacity, medicines, equipment, diagnostic facilities. Quality is also determined by the distribution and access of these facilities within the area, the efforts in preventive/promotive healthcare and community participation, in addition to the process challenges, for e.g., insistence of Aadhar or Thayi cards.
Click here for the details on how all constituencies fare and their source(s)
Constituency map
Incumbent MLA: Ramalinga Reddy
Ramalinga Reddy is a seven term MLA, first elected from Jayanagar for four consecutive terms. Then in 2008, when the constituency boundaries changed due to delimitation, he shifted to BTM layout where he has been the representative for the past 15 years and seeking his fourth term from the constituency. Ramalinga Reddy has served in a variety of positions in Government, over the years, including as Home Minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet. He is also currently the Working President of the KPCC. He started his political career as a municipal corporator in 1983.
His first stint as a minister was in the Veerappa Moily Cabinet as Minister for Finance and Heavy and Medium Industries. He has held many portfolios and has served in cabinets under Dharam Singh, S M Krishna and Siddaramaiah. His name had cropped up in the matter of the Jharkhand Mukhti Morcha bribery case that had shaken the then Narasimha Rao Government at the centre, along with Moily and his then Cabinet colleague H M Revanna. The Delhi High Court in 2002 had upheld the trial court’s acquittal of the three.
His tenure as the Home Minister saw some high profile law and order incidents, including the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh and the Anekal gang rape. His daughter Sowmya Reddy is the MLA in the neighbouring Jayanagara constituency, where Ramalinga Reddy continues to maintain strong pockets of influence.
Ramalinga Reddy shot into prominence in 2019 when he was one of the first MLAs to withdraw support from the JDS-Congress coalition Government, headed by HD Kumaraswamy thereby bringing down the Government. However, although most other MLAs who resigned went ahead and joined the BJP, he subsequently withdrew his resignation and remained in the Congress party.
Ramalinga Reddy enjoys the image of being an approachable and proactive MLA, who has implemented many projects in his constituency.
Work in the term
Some of his key accomplishments include the Solid Waste Transfer station set up as a model for Bengaluru, the transformation of several area schools under his leadership and the reclamation of public spaces and their development into citizen amenities. Adoption of government schools, RO water stations/dispensing units in the slums where people pay Rs.5 for 20 litres.
On the other side of the scale are disappointments, including the incomplete Mestripalya lake work, the unfinished flyover from Ejipura to Kendriya Sadan and the linking road from Ejipura to Agara.
In the news
- Ramalinga Reddy was in the news for distributing pressure cookers to electorates.
- He has adopted 22 government schools and remodelled them with facilities and infrastructure on par with private schools.
- Held several protests along with party workers against BBMP and the State government for the delay in completing the Ejipura flyover project.
Questions raised in the Assembly
- During a debate in the assembly session, MLA Ramalinga Reddy questioned the State government on the discrimination on fund allocation to Congress-ruled constituencies.
- Raised the issue of release of funds for Ejipura-Kendriya Sadan flyover.
- Questioned the government on disbursing of grant under the 14th Finance Commission earmarked in the budget of the Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation without the approval of the Standing Committee and Council meeting.
- Took up the issue of deteriorating law and order in the state.
List of candidates
Incumbent MLA Ramalinga Reddy, INC
- Education: B.Sc.
- Online: Twitter-@RLR_BTM
- Profession: Social Service
- Political Experience: 40 years of experience, has been in the post for 3 consecutive Assembly elections – 2008, 2013 & 2018. Held several ministerial posts including former Home Minister of Karnataka.
| Details | Holdings in 2018 | Holdings in 2023 | Change in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movable Assets | 23.38 Cr | 36.13 Cr | 54% increase |
| Immovable property | 43.42 Cr | 74.54 Cr | 71% increase |
| Liabilities | 18.33 Cr | 13.53 Cr | 26% decrease |
| Total | 48.47 Cr | 97.14 Cr | 100% increase |
*Includes spouse’s assets. Source: https://affidavit.eci.gov.in/
Candidate: K R Sridhara (BJP)
- Education: SSLC
- Online: Instagram: – @kr sridhara reddy, Facebook: – KR Sridhara Reddy, Twitter :- @krsridharaBJP
- Profession: Real-estate builder
- Net worth: Rs 185 Cr
- Political experience: A real-estate builder, who lives in HSR Layout. He has been in the political field since 1995. He is the BJP South District Treasurer and has been a party member for about 7-8 yrs.
Candidate: Srinivas Reddy, AAP
- Education: BA LLB
- Online: http://msrinivasareddy.in
- Profession: an advocate and runs Sri Balaji Educational Charitable Organisation, and has partnered with Anekal Taluk Kudlu Government School. He runs H2U water plus alkaline water company.
- Net worth: 20 crore
- Political Experience: NA
- Click here for the video interview of Sreenivas Reddy https://youtu.be/1axkVRjHt1Y
Candidate: Janani Vathsala (KRS) – Karnataka Rashtra Samithi Party
- Education: Diploma in Education
- Online: Instagram: @jananivathsala
- Profession: Student
- Net worth: Rs 7,500
- Political Experience: NA
- Click here for the video interview of Janani Vathsala https://youtu.be/7Qt5H7rbAIM
Full list of candidates
Past election results
| 2018 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramalinga Reddy | M | INC | 65 | 49% |
| 2 | Lallesh Reddy | M | BJP | 41 | 34% |
| 3 | K Devadas | M | JDS | 56 | 13% |
| 2013 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramalinga Reddy | M | INC | 60 | 63.1% |
| 2 | N.Sudhakar | M | BJP | 36 | 18.7% |
| 3 | J. Ramesh Reddy | M | JDS | 36 | 7.55% |
We badly need the critical Ejipura- Agara Link road project to come up to give major relief for Koramangala traffic snarls