City: Bengaluru

The MLA seat in Mahalakshmi Layout constituency had become vacant after K Gopalaiah, the Janata Dal (Secular) MLA here, resigned to join the BJP. This had been a rude shock to the ruling JD(S)-Congress alliance, which had considered this a 'safe' seat in Bengaluru. K Gopalaiah had wrested the constituency from INC in 2013 and won again in 2018. This by-election, he's contesting from the constituency as the BJP candidate. Know your candidates Twelve candidates are contesting from Mahalakshmi Layout constituency. Three other candidates had withdrawn their nominations, and three others' were rejected. Following are the major candidates: M Shivaraju…

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 Two other candidates had withdrawn their nominations, and two others' were rejected.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 Family: Spouse and three dependants Educational qualification:…

Constituency Shivajinagar Constituency K R Puram Constituency Mahalakshmi Layout Constituency Yeshvanthapura Constituency Data Find your constituency Search by EPIC card details How to vote Find your polling station Explainers What you can do when politicians try to influence votes with freebies What is your MLA allowed to spend local area development funds on? Illegal banners and buntings during elections: what can you do about it? https://citizenmatters.in/karnataka-legislative-assembly-mla-roles-responsibility-24290 https://citizenmatters.in/bangalore-101-december-2019-byelection-yeshwanthpur-mahalakshmi-layout-shivaji-nagar-kr-puram-constituencies-disqualified-mlas-39069 Voter guide: All you need to know before you cast your vote https://citizenmatters.in/all-you-need-to-know-before-casting-your-vote-this-lok-sabha-elections-11190/embed In countdown to 2019, here’s all you wanted to know about EVMs https://citizenmatters.in/electronic-voting-machines-evm-vvpat-controversy-politics-elections-2019-9649/embed

The Shivajinagar seat had become vacant after incumbent MLA Roshan Baig was suspended from the Indian National Congress this year for 'anti-party' statements and activities. Baig, a seven-time legislator, was charged with slamming state leaders as well as being involved in the multi-crore IMA scam. Know your candidates Nineteen candidates are contesting from Shivaji Nagar constituency in the bypolls. Seven other candidates had withdrawn their nominations, and three others were rejected. Following are the major candidates: Rizwan Arshad Party: Indian National Congress Family: Spouse and two dependants Educational qualification: B Com Profession: Business, MLC (Member of Legislative Council) Online: Facebook…

63-year-old Kamalamma (name changed) was peacefully walking with her husband at 5.30 am in a quiet locality in Bengaluru. Little did she know that fate had a terrible plan for her. Two youngsters on a bike sped past them, close enough to brush against her. Her life changed forever! She fell down, hit her head against the curb, and has been bed-ridden for the last 10 years. My dear friend lost her 17-year-old son in a road accident, when he and a friend set off on a bike to wish their friends on a new-year eve. Both of them had…

For those of us who have lived in London, there is one thing we'd absolutely agree - it won't take you more than a couple of days to understand the public transport system. The flow of information is seamless, and there's no blindspot that leaves you in a lurch on either a crowded Regent Street or a quieter lane in Wimbeldon. Visible signboards about how to go forward - whether you use tubes or buses - are all around. Bus stands are never more than 400 yards from a tube station. The public transport service in London is also consistently…

A few days ago, Tejasvi Surya, MP for Bangalore South, created news when he worked with various stakeholders - BBMP, BWSSB, BMRCL etc - to help clear the mess that was Bannerghatta Road. He coordinated a joint meeting with these departments and relatively eased life for thousands of commuters who use this road. A lot of people were impressed that an MP got down into the grit of solving the basic infrastructure problems that plague our city. But that's just the point here. Dealing with a bad road isn't his job as an MP! Just so we are clear, this…

Prof. Jayant Narlikar, an astrophysicist and Professor Emeritus at Pune University, once said, “The reason for the decline of science in India is the lack of experimentation as part of learning science.” Indeed, India’s education system has maintained status-quo for over many decades now, and no revolutionary attempt has been made to upgrade the quality of content or its delivery.  However, once in a while, one does come upon heartening instances, such as at the Legacy School Bangalore (LSB), where students of Grades 9 and 10 have been exposed to a novel learning experience since 2014. Bindu, a teacher of the school has collaborated with the…

A major railway station, a Metro station and a national highway (Peenya Road) are all located close to each other in the Yeshwanthpur suburbs. But these transport modes are not well-integrated, causing major hassles in using public transport here. 2.3 km from old railway station to Metro The map below shows the distance from the old entrance of the railway station (marked YPR (OLD)), where Platform 1 is located, to the Metro station. This roundabout stretch is about 2.3 km long. The distance from the new entrance (YPR (NEW)), where Platform 8 is located, to the Metro station is shorter.…

Since 1954, November 20th has been observed as World Children's Day. It marks the anniversary of the UN adopting the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. But are our children well-protected from violence and abuse? The recently-released NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) report, 2017, showed that over a quarter of the crimes against children were sexual offences. These were cases filed under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. In Bengaluru alone, 414 POCSO cases were filed in 2017. So just how do we keep our children safe? And what are the legal options in case a…