Find out how Chamrajapet Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA and INC candidate BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and other candidates Bhaskar Rao (BJP), Govindaraj C (JDS), and Jagadish Chandra C (AAP).
About the constituency
Chamrajapet constituency is in Bengaluru Urban district and comes in the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha Constituency. Chamrajapet is one of the central constituencies in Bengaluru, and is also the smallest by area at 4 sq. km. It includes important and old areas of Bengaluru, like parts of the City Market (K R Market), Cottonpet and Akkipet, Chamrajapet itself, Vittal nagar, Azadnagar, Gowripalya and Jagjeevanramnagar.
K R Market and the surrounding petes are important commercial areas of the city, where transactions worth thousands of crores happen each day. The locality of Chamrajapet was one of the first suburbs to be established in Bengaluru, around 130 years back to decongest the petes. With much larger site areas than other suburbs, it has seen increased commercialisation in the recent past. Areas of Vittal nagar, Azadnagar, Cottonpet, and Gowripalya have also had to deal with congestion with increasing population and vehicular movement.
Important landmarks in the area include K R Market, Bangalore Medical College, Victoria Hospital, Minto Ophthalmic Hospital, City Armed Reserve (CAR) headquarters, Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, Bangalore Fort and St. Joseph’s Church. Historic institutions like Kannada Sahitya Parishath, Karnataka Sanskrit University, Bangalore Medical College mark one end of the constituency. The historic Fort High School ground hosts the annual Ramanavami concerts, making this constituency part of the cultural map of the city.
Chamrajapet constituency consists of six wards under the new delimitation – Chamrajapet, Chalavadipalya, Azad Nagar, Padarayanapura, Jagjeevanram Nagar and Devraj Urs Nagar. Before delimitation also there were six wards with the same names except for Devaraj Urs Nagar, which was known as Rayapuram ward.
BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan of the Indian National Congress is the sitting MLA and P C Mohan from the Bharatiya Janata Party is the current MP (Bangalore Central).
At a glance
| Constituency Name | Chamrajapet |
| Constituency No | 168 |
| Constituency Area (in sq.km) | 4 sq. km |
| Number of voters | 220,327 |
| Male voters | 113,340 |
| Female voters | 106,963 |
| Other voters | 34 |
Data for all 28 constituencies can be found here. Corresponding source: ceo.karnataka.gov.in
Key issues in the constituency
The K R Market has been in the news for its impending demolition and reconstruction to decongest the area. While business owners are worried about being evicted from their locations and loss of business, the BBMP wants to go ahead with a long pending demolition and reconstruction. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has also got involved, given the historicity of the market.
The Idgah Maidan in the centre of Chamrajapet has been in the face of a major standoff between the government and the WAKF board. While the BBMP claims that it is a public playground and as such belongs to it, the WAKF has claimed that it is a religious ground that has been and Idgah for more than 200 years. While the national flag was hoisted on Independence Day in 2022, the State government planned to hold a Ganesha festival celebration soon after, but that was stayed by the Supreme Court. The Karnataka High Court eventually ordered status quo and the ground remains a playground with prayer offered for Ramzan and Bakrid. The BBMP also gave up its claims on the land.
This isn’t the first time the Idgah maidan has been in the centre of controversy. In 2013, an RSS procession led by the then MP of Bangalore South, Ananth Kumar tried to enter the maidan on Vijayadashami and was stopped by the police. In general, the maidan has been a kettle kept on the boil to simmer up religious tensions as and when needed. Despite the HC order, given the potential for mischief you can expect the maidan to turn up in the news again.
Padarayanapura ward in the constituency was among the first to record a cluster of cases during the early days of COVID-19. It was declared a containment zone by the BBMP and was met with a lot of resistance from the residents, which eventually led to mob violence. It led to an unfortunate communal spin to Covid and the residents ended up suffering economic losses also.
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* |
|---|---|
| 30 Govt schools; 1 school for 0.14 sq. km | High |
Chamrajapet is among the top nine constituencies in terms of government schools. Currently, there is one school for 0.14 sq km, placing it among the highest nine constituencies. Being one of the oldest areas in the city, it is well served with good education infrastructure. Some of these schools are older than 100 years and serve as important historical and architectural markers of the city.
Mobility
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| 2 Metro Stations | No rating |
| 14 Bus Stops | Medium |
| 17 bus trips per 100 residents daily | Medium |
There are two metro stations in Chamrajapet constituency. The constituency rates “medium” in terms of number of bus stops per sq km. In terms of frequency of buses at these stops also, the constituency rates “medium”. Being close to the centre of the city, areas in Chamrajapet are well connected to hubs like city market and Kempegowda bus station. However, densely packed areas like Azadnagar, Padaryanapura, Gowripalya and Jagjeevanram nagar do not have access to buses due to their narrow roads. A mini-bus service linking them to the arterial Mysore Road would be very useful to the residents.
Citizen engagement
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| Voter turnout 2013: 58.92% 2018: 54.41% | High |
| 6 wards held 213 ward committee meetings in two years | High |
| 35.5 meetings per ward | High |
Voter turnout in the constituency declined by 7.6% from 2013 to 2018. However, the six wards in Chamrajapet totalled 213 ward committee meetings. In terms of civic engagement, the constituency rates as “High”, being among the top nine constituencies.
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 | – |
| 0 Urban PHCs | – |
| 77 Anganwadis | – |
| 5 BBMP referral hospitals and 2 maternity hospitals | – |
While there maybe a number of PHCs within a constituency, the real state is reflected by the availability of staff and their capacity, distribution and access of these facilities within the area, the availability of free medicines, availability of equipment and diagnostic facilities, efforts in preventive/promotive healthcare and community participation, in addition to the process challenges of insistence on documentation like Aadhar, taayi card.
Click here for the details on how all constituencies fare and their source(s)
Constituency map
Citizen demands
Businesses in the K R market are demanding better garbage management as the mounting garbage not only poses health risks, but also drives customers away.
For long time residents of the constituency, one of the issues is the decrease in cosmopolitanism and the rise of tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities in the area engineered by vested interests.
Incumbent MLA: BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan
Zameer Ahmed Khan was elected to the assembly in 2018 from a Congress ticket. Before that, he was a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) and had been elected to the assembly three times on their ticket. He was the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies during the one year that the INC-JDS combine was in power.
Zameer Ahmed has business interests in transport and education, and is a partner in National Travels. He is registered as a voter in 162-Shivajinagar assembly constituency, in serial number 923 in part no. 52.
He was first fielded in the constituency by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda after former chief minister S M Krishna vacated the seat when he was appointed Governor of Maharashtra. The Daridra Narayana rally held at Palace Grounds in 2004 to introduce the relatively new Khan heralded his political star. His close proximity to H D Kumarswamy saw him as part of many political dramas, including the coup against the Dharam Singh Government in 2006 when Kumaraswamy broke ranks with his father to align with the BJP.
In 2016, Khan led a rebellion against his political mentors during the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka. Seven MLAs, including all three MLAs from the city, were suspended from JD(S) for cross-voting. In 2018, Rahul Gandhi welcomed the rebel MLAs into the Congress party.
Work in the term
During this term, Zameer Ahmed held the Ministries of Food and Civil Supplies and Minority affairs during the one year the INC-JDS combine was in power. Since then, he has had to negotiate a minefield of issues like the Padarayanapura containment zone violence, and the issues surrounding the Idgah Maidan. Most recently the government has opened an investigation over alleged disproportionate assets.
In the news
- Zameer Ahmed Khan has been facing an investigation over alleged “disproportionate assets” for the past few months. He had to appear before the Enforcement Directorate over it, and the High Court has refused to stay the investigation.
- In July 2022, he was censured by his party for commenting that “no one can become the CM by relying on one community’s votes”, which was purported to be directed at D K Shivakumar.
- After the Padarayanapura violence, when it was declared a containment zone in April 2020, Zameer spoke out defending the rioters, and said that the authorities should have visited during the day time and not gone to enforce rules during the night, which attracted the ire of the CM, BS Yediyurappa.
- The national flag was hoisted for the first time in Chamrajpet’s Idgah Maidan by Zameer Ahmed on August 15 2022. He followed this up by hoisting the flag on Republic Day on January 26 2023. At the same time he has been vocal about refusing to let the grounds be used for a Ganesha pandal, which Revenue Minister R. Ashoka was demanding. The Supreme Court eventually stayed any plans to celebrate the Ganesha festival there.
Questions raised in the assembly
- Zameer Ahmed had questioned the Speaker Vishwanath Hegde for his remarks about RSS and using the term “our RSS” being a speaker. The Speaker had responded that one day “you will also say it”, to which Congress leaders including Zameer Ahmed said that day would never come and they would never say it.
- In Dec 2021, Zameer Ahmed had urged the Minister for Primary and Secondary education, and the Minister for Sakaala to appoint teachers to government primary and secondary schools in Chamrajpet constituency.
List of candidates
Incumbent MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (INC)
Zameer Ahmed Khan has been the MLA for the constituency since 2005. He made his political debut as part of JD(S) and moved to the INC just before the 2018 elections.
- Party: INC
- 10th Standard discontinued
- Profession: Business and politics
- Online: https://twitter.com/BZZameerAhmedK
- Total assets: Rs. 72.71 Crore (2023)
- Criminal cases: 5
- Road accident fatality caused by negligent driving
- Prevention of corruption Act
- Criminal intimidation, forgery
- Money laundering Act
- Zameer Ahmed Khan started his political career with JD(S) and has been the MLA from Chamrajapet since 2005. He switched to INC just before the 2018 elections, and was minister for food and civil supplies and minority affairs during the one year the INC-JDS combine was in power.
Wealth declaration
| Details | Holdings in 2018 | Holdings in 2023 | Change in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movable Assets | 1.00 Cr | 6.89 Cr | 589% increase |
| Immovable property | 39.34 Cr | 65.82 Cr | 67% increase |
| Liabilities | 22.78 Cr | 42.93 Cr | 88% increase |
| Total Assets | 40.34 Cr | 72.71 Cr | 80% increase |
Source: https://affidavit.eci.gov.in/ *includes assets and liabilities of spouse and dependents
Candidate: Bhaskar Rao, BJP
Bhaskar Rao, IPS, was a 1990 batch IPS (Indian Police Service) officer who served as Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police from August 2019 to August 2020. He retired as Additional Director General of Police, Railways in April 2022.
- Party: BJP
- Education: MA, Economics, 1988.
- Profession: IPS Officer (retired). Was Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police 2019-2020, retired as ADGP, Railways.
- Online: https://twitter.com/Nimmabhaskar22
- Total assets: Rs. 21.97 Cr
- Criminal cases: 0
Political experience: After retirement from IPS, Bhaskar Rao, joined the Aam Aadmi Party and was named the Karnataka Vice-president. He quit within months and joined the BJP citing lack of growth opportunities.
Candidate: Govindaraj C, JD (S)
Govindaraj C is the candidate from JD (S) for Chamrajpet constituency.
- Party: JD(S)
- Education: 10th Standard
- Profession: Business – real estate
- Online: None
- Total assets: Rs. 34.02 Cr
- Criminal Cases: 17, under different sections:
- IPC Sections 406, 418, 419, 420, 465, 468, 470, 471, 506 – breach of trust, dishonesty and using forged documents.
- Prevention of Corruption Act
- Money Laundering
- IPC 120(B) – Criminal conspiracy
- Conviction: 1 – IPC Sec 120(B) (Criminal conspiracy), 143, 147, 148, 150 – all related to unlawful assembly and rioting, 506 B (criminal intimidation), 302 R/W 149 (murder read with unlawful assembly).
- Political experience: This is the first time Govindaraj is contesting in elections.
Candidate: Jagadish Chandra C, AAP
Jagadish Chandra C is the candidate from AAP for Chamrajapet assembly constituency.
- Party: AAP
- Education: MBA (HR), Mysore University
- Profession: Business (retired)
- Online: twitter.com/jagadish2112
- Total assets: Rs. 5.44 Cr
- Criminal cases: 0
- Political experience: This is the first time Jagadish is contesting an election.
Full list of candidates
Past election results
| Candidate | Party (2018) | Vote Share (%) 2018 | Party (2013) | Vote Share (%) 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan | INC | 54.35 | JDS | 52.32 |
| M. Lakshminarayana | BJP | 26.79 | – | |
| B.K. Altaf Khan | JDS | 16.13 | – | |
| G.A Bava | INC | 24.31 | ||
| B.V. Ganesh | BJP | 16.46 |