The MLA of KR Puram constituency, Basavaraj Byrathi, had resigned from the Congress party this July, after ‘Operation Kamala 2.0’. He was said to be a loyalist of the Siddaramaiah faction, but apparently resigned as he had been denied a minister’s post in the INC-JD(S) government. He is now contesting as the BJP candidate from the constituency.
Know your candidates
Thirteen candidates are contesting from KR Puram constituency in the bypolls. Two other candidates had withdrawn their nominations, and two others’ were rejected.
Here are the major candidates:
| M Narayanaswamy
Indian National Congress |
|
| B A Basavaraja (Basavaraj Byrathi)
Bharatiya Janata Party |
|
| C Krishnamurthy
Janata Dal (Secular) |
|
Complete list of candidates
| Candidate | Party | Symbol |
| M NARAYANASWAMY, 59, BA, Businessman and MLC | Indian National Congress | Hand |
| B A BASAVARAJA, 55, PUC, Businessman | Bharatiya Janata Party | Lotus |
| C KRISHNAMURTHY, 67, 7th std, Agriculturist | Janata Dal (Secular) | A lady farmer carrying paddy on her head |
| SURYAKANTH SUBRAMANYAM, 35, BA, Business | Independent | Coconut farm |
| N KEMPARAJU, 65, 7th std | Raita Bharat Party | Tiller |
| VENUGOPALA, 27, BE, Own electrical engineering works | Yuva Karnataka Paksha | Diamond |
| KRISHNAMURTHY V, 35, 7th std | Independent | Battery Torch |
| STANLEY PRASANNA J, 29 | Independent | Pen nib with seven rays |
| T K DASAR GOWDA, 51, MA | Independent | Helmet |
| JAGADEESHA KAGEPURA, 45, JOC Tech Education | Karnataka Rashtra Samithi | Whistle |
| CHALUVALI RAJANNA, 52, SSLC, Social service | Independent | Ganna Kisan |
| SANTHOSH M, 33, B Tech | Uttama Prajaakeeya Party | Autorickshaw |
| L RAMA KRISHNA, 44, 9th std | Independent | Bat |
Results of 2018 assembly elections
In the 2018 assembly election, Byrathi Basavaraj won 1,35,404 votes, which made up over 53 percent of the vote share. The runner-up, Nandiesha Reddy of BJP, won 1,02,675 votes (around 40 percent). The JD(S) candidate came a dismal third, with only 6578 votes, or 2.59 percent.
| Name | Sex | Age | Category | Party | General votes | Postal votes | Total Votes | % votes |
| B A Basavaraja | M | 54 | Gen | INC | 1,35,230 | 174 | 135,404 | 53.31 |
| Nandiesha Reddy | M | 46 | Gen | BJP | 1,02,468 | 207 | 102,675 | 40.42 |
| DA Gopala | M | 62 | Gen | JD (S) | 6565 | 13 | 6,578 | 2.59 |
| NOTA | 2458 | 6 | 2,464 | 0.96 |
(ECI)
About the Constituency
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KR Puram assembly constituency was carved out of Varthur and Yelahanka constituencies in 2008. This constituency comprises Horamavu, Ramamurthy Nagar, Vijnana Pura, KR Pura, Basavanapura, Devasandra, A Narayanapura, Vijnana Nagar and HAL Airport wards. It is situated in a prosperous area, and is among the most revenue-generating regions in the city.
KR Puram has had a fast rate of growth, especially as multinationals and the IT industry sought to set up companies here. But the roads are badly maintained and full of potholes, while traffic congestion is heavy, especially near the Tin Factory and KR Puram hanging bridge. Some low-lying areas in Horamavu ward often get flooded during rains. This constituency has five lakes, but water bodies such as Horamavu, Devasandra and Kalkere lakes have been polluted and encroached.
Lack of water as well proper drainage and sewerage systems are major concerns here. Sewage seeps from cesspits and contaminates ground water. Stray dog menace, lack of good street lights, and faulty garbage clearance are other issues. There are no parks or playgrounds either. Borewell connections are arbitrarily made, so a lot of land has been dug up illegally.
K R Puram is said to be among the constituencies in Bengaluru with the highest number of voters.
Total number of registered voters: 4,87,857
Registered voters in 2018 assembly election: 4,38,156
[Note: Number of registered voters has been updated based on ECI press release of 2.12.2019]