Find out how Rajajinagar Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA Suresh Kumar (BJP) and other candidates – Puttanna (INC), BT Naganna (AAP) and Anjanappa T H (JDS).
About the constituency
Rajajinagar constituency comprises predominantly residential areas and small commercial areas. It is well connected to the rest of the city. The Kempegowda Bus Depot (Majestic) and KSR Railway Station are reasonably close. Rajajinagar metro station is in the neighbouring Mahalakshmi Layout constituency.
The constituency has large government hospitals, such as the Dr Nagaraj Memorial Hospital and Deen Dayal Dialysis Centre.
Suresh Kumar (BJP) has been the MLA since 2008. Previously, he also held office for two terms between 1994 and 2004. The constituency falls under Bangalore-Central Lok Sabha constituency, whose sitting MP is PC Mohan (BJP).
At a glance
| Constituency Name | Rajajinagar |
| Constituency No | 165 |
| Constituency Area (in sq.km) | 5.46 |
| Number of voters (January 2023) | 2,01,287 |
| Male voters | 1,01,976 |
| Female voters | 99,304 |
| Other voters | 7 |
Data for all 28 constituencies can be found here. Corresponding source: ceo.karnataka.gov.in
Key issues in the constituency
Despite being an older established neighbourhood, Rajajinagar constituency has the same civic amenity issues as the rest of the city. Residents have complained about corruption, poor quality roads and footpaths, garbage problems and ill-maintained drains. However, residents also report overall satisfaction in some media reports.
The constituency has some bad quality roads even leading to one commuter losing his life and another suffering grievous injuries. Traffic is an issue particularly in the neighbourhoods that are commercial such as Vatal Nagaraj Road near Okalipuram.
Rajainagar is among the top five wards in the city for noise pollution complaints, largely due to excessive horn use indicating the heavy traffic in the area.
Much of the constituency is also on hilly, undulating terrain, thus narrow roads and increased vehicular traffic have also caused parking issues. Like much of the city, walkability and pedestrian safety are also an issue in the constituency. .
The West of Chord Flyover connecting Tumkur Road to Mysore Road passes through the Basaveshwaranagar ward in the constituency. The flyover was opened to the public in 2022 after several delays. Meanwhile, Manjunath Nagar Flyover on Chord road, connecting Yeshwanthpur to Magadi Road, which was inaugurated in 2018, has developed cracks.
Residents of the KHB colony in Basaveshwaranagar have complained that BWSSB’s work on underground drains had destroyed existing, functional sanitation networks and caused manholes to overflow.
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* |
|---|---|
| 14 Govt schools 1 school for 0.39 sq. km | High |
Rajajinagar is among the top nine constituencies in terms of government schools.
Mobility
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| 0 Metro Stations | No rating |
| 29 Bus Stops | Low |
| 11.23 Bus trips per 100 residents daily | Low |
Rajajinagar assembly constituency technically has no metro station. However, the Rajajinagar Metro Station is just outside the constituency boundaries. The constituency rated low in terms of number of bus stops and frequency of bus trips at these stops.
Citizen engagement
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| Voter turnout 2013: 61.23% 2018: 56.88% | High |
| 7 wards held 196 ward committee meetings in two years | High |
| 19.3 meetings per ward | High |
There is general voter apathy in the constituency. Voter turnout has been on a downward trend.
The constituency also rated low in terms of ward committee meetings between 2020-22. Seven wards held 135 meetings.
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* |
|---|---|
| 4 Namma clinics | – |
| 4 Urban PHCs | – |
| 39 Anganwadis | – |
| 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: S Suresh Kumar (BJP)
S Suresh Kumar from BJP is a seasoned politician and lawyer by training. He began his career as a corporator in 1983 and has been the MLA of Rajajinagar five times. He has been closely associated with the RSS.
He was also the Minister of State for Law & Parliamentary Affairs of Karnataka under the previous BJP government between 2008 and 2013.
Work in the term
Suresh was the education minister under Chief Minister Yedyurappa from 2019-2021, but was dropped in the cabinet reshuffle after Bommai took over.
This term largely fell in the middle of the pandemic. Much of his work in this post appears to have revolved around handling the lockdown and education.
In 2020, the education department focused on online schooling. In June-July 2020, the education department banned online schooling that private schools began to take up.
After heavy criticism and a stay from the Karnataka High Court, the state government allowed online classes. In July 2020, Suresh Kumar announced online schooling guidelines, particularly to protect young children’s mental health.
In December 2020, he was urging parents to “forgo fear” and send children to school.
Despite fears of COVID-19 and two deadly waves, he managed to push for Karnataka SSLC exams in both 2020 and 2021. This decision caused the education department to clash with the health department in 2021. The health department claimed that it had not been informed of the decision.
Combating some criticism, he said that he pushed for conducting the exams because it was his duty as the minister. He also said conducting the exams were important to enable children to understand where they stand in their education.
He also promised to take action against private schools that denied students hall tickets to write exams during the pandemic, due to non-payment of fees.
However, children from lower income families, particularly those attending government schools suffered greatly during the same period. A number of school dropouts during the pandemic increased substantially.
Furthermore, an education department survey suggested that online schooling had only reached around 40% of rural students and slightly more urban students. In 2021, The government also cancelled the Vidyagama programme, special tutoring sessions, meant to help students catch up with lost learning during the pandemic. The programme was reinstated in 2022. The government also did not deliver rations promised to lower income families in lieu of midday meals.
In the news
- In September 2021, Suresh Kumar inspected the West of Chord Flyover.
- AAP members threatened to protest outside Suresh Kumar’s office for not paying compensation promised to unorganised sector workers for loss of livelihood and COVID-19 deaths.
- In January 2022, he objected to FB Rainbow, a radio channel owned by the State run Akashvani, airing content in languages that were not Kannada.
- In May 2022, he protested against the Karnataka Administration Services (KAS) for not releasing KPSC exam results on time.
- In May 2022, he urged the Bengaluru police to crack down on people bursting crackers during the nights.
- In July 2022, he criticised the KAS for further delays in releasing exam results.
- In December 2022, he urged the government to ban gambling advertisements in the state.
List of candidates
Incumbent MLA: S Suresh Kumar (BJP)
Suresh Kumar has been the MLA of Rajajinagar constituency since 2008. He has no criminal cases against him.
- Education: BSc, LLB
- Profession: Advocate
- Online: Twitter -http://twitter.com/nimmasuresh; Facebook – facebook.com./nimmasuresh
- Net worth: Rs 4.83 Crore
- Political experience: Five time MLA; former corporator. Was Minister of State for Law and Parliamentary affairs in 2008 and Education Minister in 2019-2021.
Wealth declaration
| Details | Holdings in 2018 | Holdings in 2023 | Change in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movable Assets | 0.58 Cr | 0.88 Cr | 51.7% increase |
| Immovable property | 3.0 Cr | 3.95 Cr | 31.7% increase |
| Liabilities | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 3.58 Cr | 4.83 Cr | 35% increase |
Source: https://affidavit.eci.gov.in/
Candidate: Puttanna, INC
Puttanna is a former Member of the Legislative Council from the Bangalore Teachers’ Constituency. He was formerly a BJP candidate. He has no criminal cases against him.
- Education: MA, History
- Online: Twitter – http://twitter.com/mlcputtanna; Facebook- http://facebook.com/mlcputtanna
- Profession: Social service and Agriculture
- Net worth: Rs 60.64 Crore
- Political Experience: Four time MLC
Candidate: Dr Anjappa, JDS
Dr Anjappa is a practising gastroenterologist and practising surgeon, who gained popularity for COVID-19 related dissemination and outreach. This is his first foray into politics. He has no criminal cases against him.
- Education: MSc Surgery
- Online: https://twitter.com/dranjanappath; Facebook – facebook.com/dranjanappath
- Profession: Surgeon, Own hospital
- Net worth: Rs 22.20 Crore
- Political Experience: First time entry into politics
Candidate: BT Naganna, AAP
BT Naganna was formerly General Secretary of JDS and joined AAP in 2020. He has one criminal case against him.
- Education: Engineering
- Online: Twitter- http://twitter.com/btnaganna; Facebook-naganna@rajajinagar
- Profession: Small scale industrialist
- Net worth: 17.75 Crore
- Political experience: Formerly JDS General Secretary
Full list of candidates
Past elections results
| Candidate | Party | Vote Share (%) 2018 | Vote Share (%) 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| S Suresh Kumar | BJP | 46.86 | 36.45 |
| G Padmavathi | INC | 38.99 | – |
| H.M. Krishnamurthy | JD(S) | 11.36 | – |
| Manjula Naidu. R | INC | – | 22.75 |
| Shobha Karandlaje | KJP | – | 19.4 |