Articles by Bhanu Sridharan

Residents around Saul Kere woke up to a rude shock one December morning last year. A flex banner, with the former Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavalli’s face, had been put up at the entrance to the lake, announcing its development. The lake would be drained, desilted and developed by the BBMP. The banner welcomed residents to attend the inauguration of the lake’s development by Arvind Limbavalli on December 12th. A group of concerned birdwatchers turned up at the lake on the designated day to ask the MLA and BBMP about their plans. But nobody showed up. Citizens learnt about the plan…

As polling ended on May 10th, it became clear that Bengaluru would have one of the lowest voter turnouts in the state. Election officials estimate that the entire state had a turnout of 73.19%. In Bengaluru however, only around 55% of the registered voters showed up to the polls. Representational image. Pic: Public Resource Org on Flickr/CC BY 2.0 BBMP South recorded 52.80% voter turnout, BBMP Central recorded 55.39%, and BBMP North had 52.88% voter turnout. Bangalore Urban district, which comprises the peripheral constituencies like Yeshwanthpur, Byatarayanapura and Mahadevapura, recorded around 56.98% voter turnout. As headlines condemning the city’s apathy…

In early January 2023, with the elections drawing near, citizens across Bengaluru began waking up to their neighbourhood lakes being drained, dug up and desilted in preparation for restoration. The state government had allocated various grants for lake restoration across the city. According to a full page advertisement the government placed in the Deccan Herald, 47 lakes had already been developed under the Nava Nagarothana scheme and 17 were to be developed in 2023 under the Amrutha Nagarothana scheme during the 2022-23 budget. The ad announcement on the development of lakes. Pic: Screenshot of the Deccan Herald ad We previously…

Editor's note: On January 25 2022, the state government put out a full page ad in the Deccan Herald showcasing its achievements in Bengaluru. The ad praised the government’s expenditure of hundreds of crores spent on restoring lakes, building BBMP schools, the much publicised Namma clinics, roads, and various BDA layouts. In the upcoming series, we look at some of these claims and see the reality behind it. On January 25th, the state government claimed in an advertisement that “47 lakes had been developed under the Nava Nagarothana scheme at the cost of 317.25 crores.” Under the Amrutha Nagarothana scheme,…

Find out how Yeshwanthapura Assembly Constituency is faring and what has been happening in this constituency. Learn about the incumbent MLA S T Somashekar (BJP) and other candidates Javaregowda (JDS), Shashidhar C Aradhya (AAP), and S Balraj Gowda (INC) Table of contentsAbout the constituencyKey issues in the constituencyKey parameters - How does this constituency fare? SchoolingMobilityCitizen engagementHealthConstituency mapCitizen demandsIncumbent MLA: S T SomashekarWork in termIn the newsList of candidatesIncumbent MLA: S T Somashekar, BJPCandidate: S Balraj Gowda, INCCandidate: T N Javarayi Gowda, JD(S) Candidate: Shashidhar C Aradhya, AAPFull list of candidates  Past elections results About the constituency Yeshwanthapura Assembly Constituency was carved…

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). Table of contentsAbout the constituencyKey issues in the constituencyKey parameters - How does this constituency fare? SchoolingMobilityCitizen engagementHealthConstituency mapIncumbent MLA: S Suresh Kumar (BJP) Work in the termIn the newsList of candidatesIncumbent MLA: S Suresh Kumar (BJP)Candidate: Puttanna, INCCandidate: Dr Anjappa, JDSCandidate: BT Naganna, AAPFull list of candidates  Past elections results About the constituency Rajajinagar constituency comprises predominantly residential areas and small commercial…

Find out how Yelahanka Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA S R Vishwanath (BJP) and other candidates - Keshava Rajanna B, (INC), Munegowda M, (JDS) and P Manjunath P, (AAP). Table of contentsAbout the constituencyKey issues in the constituencyKey parameters - How does this constituency fare? SchoolingMobilityCitizen engagementHealthIncumbent MLA: S R VishwanathWork in the termIn the newsList of candidatesIncumbent MLA: SR Vishwanath (BJP)Candidate: Keshava Rajanna B, INCCandidate: Munegowda M, JD(S) Candidate: P Manjunatha, AAPFull list of candidates   Past elections results About the constituency Yelahanka assembly constituency is in Bengaluru Urban…

Find out how Hebbal Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA and INC candidate BS Suresh and other candidates - Katta Jagadish (BJP), Manjunath Naidu (AAP), and Mohid Altaf  (JDS). Table of contentsAbout the constituencyKey issues in the constituencyKey parameters - How does this constituency fare? SchoolingMobilityCitizen engagementHealth Constituency mapCitizen demandsIncumbent MLA: Byrathi Suresh In the newsList of candidatesIncumbent MLA: Suresh BS (INC) Candidate: Katta Jagadish, BJPCandidate: Syed Mohid Altaf, JDSCandidate: Manjunath Naidu, AAPFull list of candidates   Past elections results About the constituency Hebbal Assembly Constituency is in the Bengaluru Urban district and…

Find out how Byatarayanapura Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA Krishna Byre Gowda (INC) and other candidates, including Thammesh Gowda H C (BJP), Girish Kumar Naidu (AAP) and Nagaraj Gowda P (JDS). Table of contentsAbout the constituencyKey issues in the constituencyKey parameters - How does this constituency fare? SchoolingMobilityCitizen engagementHealth Constituency mapCitizen demandsIncumbent MLA: Krishna Byre GowdaWork in the termIn the newsQuestions raised in the AssemblyList of candidatesIncumbent MLA Krishna Byre Gowda, INC Candidate: Thammesh Gowda H C, BJPCandidate: Nagaraj Gowda P, JD(S)Candidate: Girish Kumar Naidu, AAPFull list of candidates   Past elections…

Krishna Byre Gowda, from the Indian National Congress (INC), has been the MLA of Byatarayanapura since the constituency was formed in 2008. As part of his campaign to win the fourth term, he interacted with representatives of apartment associations in his constituency on April 9th. The MLA spoke about his achievements and answered key questions from the constituents. He also shared with Citizen Matters his plans for the next term if elected and his stance on certain important issues. The INC team and KBG, as he is popularly called, stressed multiple times on the MLA’s image as a clean and…