Articles by Sandhya Bhat

(This article is part 1 of a three-part event report series)  All property transactions in Bengaluru have to mandatorily be registered with the government. This is important as it provides buyers with essential safeguards; enhances transparency due to the requirement of comprehensive project disclosures; establishes standard practices; and provides mechanisms for dispute resolution. The government has brought in multiple legislations over the years. While it has brought in some level of streamlining of the process, a lot is left to be desired. There are several types of property, which means you will need to deal with different agencies. In a…

Every year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) collects property tax during the months of April and May, and a 5% rebate is accorded to encourage timely tax payments. This year, however, BBMP has extended the 5% rebate period for property tax payments till July 31, 2024. One of the key differences in the SAS Property Tax Payment is the addition of a field for capturing latitude-longitude. According to the BBMP website, the benefits of latitude-longitude seeding are: Your property gets BHU-Aadhaar ID  BBMP will not allow anyone else to create Property Khata on the same spot Your property rights are…

Almost half of Bengaluru's citizens did not vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. The city recorded a 57.43% voter turnout this year, not much of an improvement from the previous 2019 elections. The low voter turnout has often been ascribed to apathy, but this alone is not a satisfactory explanation. Several factors have been cited for the low voter turnout, from discrepancies in electoral rolls to the scorching heat. Voter roll errors: Deletions, duplications and deceased names There were complaints that hundreds of voter names were either deleted or missing in Chickpet and Akkipet in Bangalore Central.  In a…

Bengaluru goes to polls on April 26th. As candidates ramp up their campaigning efforts, discussions centre on issues like infrastructure and mobility. Even as political parties have released their manifestos, residents and civic groups from a cross-section of society too have expressed their demands from their MPs. Civic group manifestos include environmental, mobility, employment and healthcare issues. Here is a compilation of a few citizen manifestos from Bengaluru: Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) BAF is a Federation of Apartment Owners’ Associations (AOA) and Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWA) in Bengaluru. Their demands include:  Commitment to lobby for immediate and high priority conduct…

Table of contentsConstituency mapAt a glanceFind your polling boothKey candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha elections 2024Additional informationPast election resultsKey issuesCandidates in the newsDK SureshDr. CN ManjunathCN ManjunathaAlso read Bangalore Rural (Parliamentary Constituency number 23) comprises eight assembly constituencies: 131-Kunigal, 154-Rajarajeshwari, 176-Bangalore South, 177-Anekal Nagar, 182-Magadi, 183-Ramanagaram, 184-Kanakapura and 185-Channapatna. Bangalore South assembly constituency, comprising wards like Yelachenahalli, Begur and Anjanapura, should not be confused with the Bangalore South parliamentary constituency. Bangalore Rural constituency was created during the delimitation in 2008. The ex-chief minister of Karnataka, H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S), was the first MP to be elected from this…

Table of contentsConstituency mapAt a glanceFind your polling boothKey candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024Additional informationPast election resultsKey issuesCandidates in the newsMansoor Ali KhanPC MohanAlso read: Bangalore Central Parliamentary constituency came into existence in 2008 after delimitation. It was carved out of Bangalore North and Bangalore South. The first Lok Sabha election was held in this constituency in 2009 and the second in 2014. Bangalore Central comprises eight assembly constituencies: Rajajinagar, Chamrajpet, Gandhinagar, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar, CV Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura. The majority of voters in this constituency are linguistic and religious minorities. Large slums, the Central Business…

Table of contentsDK Suresh: Personal informationOnline presence Criminal casesAssets and liabilities Positions heldPerformance in Parliament Summary of debates and questionsMPLADS funds spending for Bangalore RuralDK Suresh in the news Also read Doddaalahalli Kempegowda Suresh or DK Suresh is a three-time MP of Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency. The 57-year-old was born in Doddaalahalli, Ramanagara. He is from the Indian National Congress (INC). D K  Suresh was first elected through a by-election in 2013 from Bangalore Rural, after sitting MP H D Kumaraswamy resigned. He was elected a second time in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. DK Suresh: Personal information NameD K SureshAge57 yearsPolitical PartyIndian National Congress…

Table of contentsPC Mohan: Personal informationCriminal casesAssets and liabilitiesPositions heldPerformance in ParliamentSummary of debates and questionsMPLADS funding for Bangalore CentralP C Mohan in the newsInterviews and interactionAlso read: P. Chikkamuni Mohan or P C Mohan, from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is a three-time Lok Sabha MP representing Bangalore Central constituency. He was the MLA of Chickpet assembly constituency for two terms, from 1999 to 2008. He got elected as MP in the 15th (2009), 16th (2014) and 17th (2019) Lok Sabha elections from Bangalore Central. As per this report card: In 2019, Mohan got 6,02,853 votes (50.35%); while his…

As the Lok Sabha 2024 election is underway, political parties have released their election manifestos. What do the parties promise for us urban residents? How do they plan to make our cities sustainable and liveable? Why cities matter In 2022, approximately a third of the total population in India lived in cities. The trend shows an increase in urbanisation by more than 4% over the last decade, which means that people have moved away from rural areas to find work and make a living in the cities. The demographic dividend of India is significant, with 65% of its population being…

Two major announcements were made in February 2024: Karnataka Assembly passed the BBMP Amendment Bill 2024. Bengaluru development/Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on X (twitter) hailed it as a taxpayer-friendly Bill. The amendment was projected to benefit around 13-15 lakh people in Bengaluru, including 5.51 lakh taxpayers, by reducing the penalty on property tax arrears by 50%. This was followed, on February 20th, by BBMP’s draft notification proposing a new property tax calculation structure in Bengaluru. The new structure, based on Guidance Value (GV), is expected to begin during the next financial year, starting April 1st. Tax computation Municipalities in…