City: Bengaluru

When I dropped by the office to see if I could help Citizen Matters with election coverage, I had no idea what to expect. Half an hour into our conversation, I’m asked if I want to interview Uday Garudachar, standing for elections in Chickpet on a BJP ticket. "Does your phone record calls?" Here was a man whose company’s chequered history I'd been following for the last three months while volunteering at Ejipura. And here was the one chance I had to speak to him on record; but my phone had no internal memory for a voice recorder app. I…

The people's mandate for Karnataka is clean and clear - they do not want to watch the episodes of resort politics, horsetrading and 'óperations' to continue. The Congress party has been given the mandate to rule the state for next five years - but it's no way an approval of the massive scams erupting at the Central government level. It is just that people have taken a chance to see if Congress is a 'lesser evil' for the state.In Bangalore, the number of Congress MLAs has gone up from 10 to 13 - an increase of just two seats. Anekal,…

It is perhaps the result of the persistent efforts of various civic groups to prompt people to vote. It might also be the increasing frustration among people about the lack of good governance. Whatever may be the reason, this election has proved different for Namma Bengaluru. The city recorded an overall 58.27% voter turnout in the assembly elections - a percentage unheard at least in last 10 years - a humongous 10% more than 2008 elections. People queuing up at a polling booth in Whitefield early in the morning. Pic: Anantharaman R, Kadugodi resident. Passion flows on the net, and…

Recently unearthed details about the concessional agreement between the BBMP and Maverick Holdings show that the BBMP intends to hand over additional land to the firm but the BBMP is yet to inform its residents about it. Maverick Holdings is constructing a commercial complex as well as 1,512 low income homes at the site previously occupied by tin sheds housing low-income housing allottees, their tenants and squatters. But now the land previously allocated to pourakarmikas is also being handed over to Maverick Holdings. In response to an RTI query, B T Ramesh, Chief Engineer of the BBMP, replied that apart…

The Greek word Oligarchy means 'Government of a few rich people for their own advantage'. It was coined by the philosopher Aristotle 2300 years ago (he also coined the word Democracy). An Oligarch is a very rich businessman or businesswoman with a great deal of political influence. For convenience, we'll shorten the word to Olly.Karnataka politics has traditionally been funded by various lobbies of Ollys like the liquor lobby, the mining lobby, real estate lobby, and the contractors' lobby (in urban bodies elections). When a politician needs money to fight an election, an Olly funds him, and the Olly in…

Basavanagudi - the very word summons the image of the big bull’s statue from which its name has been derived. Famous Bull Temple and annual Kadle Kai Parishe make this oldest locality very special to every Bangalorean.However, this area has been witnessing rapid development over the years. The extent of greenery has proportionately reduced with trees being cut everywhere. Many sewerage and water lines are almost 50 years old and need replacement. Garbage disposal, erratic water and power supply and lack of parking facilities also plague this constituency. The Tagore Circle underpass is another issue that needs to be addressed.…

A recent High Court verdict has brought relief and hope to residents of several Sobha Developers-constructed gated apartment communities in Bengaluru. One of them is the Sobha Amethyst community in the Kadugodi-Kannamangala area north of Whitefield. Their layout has two civic amenity (CA) sites, and one of them is near the entrance. Because of present BDA rules, residents were worried that the authority could lease out this CA site to commercial interests that may disturb their community. So the owners' association decided to apply to lease the CA site back from the BDA, to keep it in their control. And…

What time are the booths open?Polling starts at 7am and ends by 6pm. How to find your polling booth?  To find your name on the rolls and print the details, do the following:Go to http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/vernacularSearch_New.aspxSelect the district (usually Bangalore, or Bangalore Rural), your constituency, and put your name, relative's name, gender, and hit search.If your entry exists, it will come up on the screen. Click the details link on left hand side of the entry line and you will get a blue popup box that displays all your details including booth location.Using your mouse, mark the entire box. Copy and…

Rajaji Nagar was among the first few ‘planned areas' in the city. The size of this constituency is about 5.5 sq km. After remaining a traditional, residential area for long, there has been haphazard development here. Many residential areas have commercial developments now; unplanned growth and illegal buildings is an issue.This area has many educational institutions, hospitals and temples. Rajaji Nagar Industrial Area houses many large and small industries.The constituency is BJP-dominated - six out of seven wards here have BJP corporators. The wards here are Dayananda Nagar, Prakash Nagar, Rajaji Nagar, Basaveshwar Nagar, Kamakshipalya, Shivanagara and Sriramamandir. Of these,…

Most KJP election candidates in the city are ex-BJP workers. But in Sarvagna Nagar, the party is fielding Michael B Fernandes, who had been with the JD(U) until recently. Fernandes, 78, is a trade union activist, and is the brother of former union minister George Fernandes. His wife Donna Fernandes is the founder of Vimochana, a city-based women’s rights group. Fernandes is a physics graduate from Madras University, and is a retired engineer from ITI Ltd. A former corporator, MLA and MLC, Fernandes has been active in politics for the last 53 years. He was elected as a corporator for…