INC’s Rizwan Arshad is 34, but no greenhorn

by April 3, 2014 Governance
He is the President of the Karnataka Youth Congress, and is considered part of the Rahul Gandhi brigade. He is eager to get into the corridors of power, even impatient. Meet Rizwan Arshad, running in Bengaluru Central.

Pic courtesy: http://facebook.com/RizwanArshad

Rizwan Arshad’s entry into politics was well-planned and came in the natural progression of college union politics through National Students Union of India (NSUI) in the 1990s to mainstream party politics later.

His father R Q Arshad was an advocate and mother Shehnaz Arshad was a lecturer at Sheshadripuram college in Bangalore.

Brief Profile

Name: Rizwan Arshad

Age: 34

Party: INC

Education: BCom

Profession: Political Activist

Assets: Rs 3.2 Crore

Cases pending: 2

Contact Details:

Address: Flat #24, Sri Vadrevu Apartment, G2, A Cross, Benson Town,Bangalore – 46, Karnataka
Phone Number: 9845111995
Email ID: rizwan.kpycc@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rizwanarshad

Political journey:

  • President College Unit NSUI (1996)
  • Vice President Mysore District Unit NSUI (1997)
  • State General Secretary, Karnataka State Unit NSUI (1998)
  • National General Secretary, National Student’s Union of India (NSUI) 1999
  • Vice President Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (2004-2010)
  • National Secretary, Indian Youth Congress New Delhi (2010- 2011)
  • President, Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (2011- till date)

Rizwan Arshad became the first muslim be to elected as the KPYCC President in 2011. He defeated Priyank Kharge, son of Central Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, by a large margin. He however was alleged have rigged the elections, though Citizen Matters cannot verify this independently. In March 2013, he almost quit the INC for being denied a ticket for the Assembly elections, but was pacified later.

He has been playing an active part in state politics, by protesting against the BJP government for its ‘failure,’ along with other Congress leaders.

He was re-elected as the KPYCC President for the second consecutive time in January 2014 and won almost 21,000 of the 29,000 votes polled.

He hit the headlines for endorsing Rahul Gandhi’s statement that the ISI would exploit Muslim youth from the riot-hit Muzaffarnagar.

The ticket for Bangalore Central being given to a youngster from Rahul Gandhi brigade has raised many eyebrows. C K Jaffer Sharief, who was bidding for a ticket from the same constituency was quite upset. Rizwan filed his nominations in the presence of MLAs K J George, Dinesh Gundu Rao and N A Haris on March 20th, 2014. According to the affidavit submitted by him, he has two cases pending against him. He also has declared assets worth Rs 3.2 crore.

He has been campaigning hard ever since and has also had the CM Siddaramaiah campaign for him. Updates on his campaigning are regularly posted on his Facebook page.

In an interview, he lists out the issues that his constituency and city face – waste management, water, infrastructure, traffic and citizen safety. He also mentions his plans of how he would tackle these issues if elected, like ensuring use of JNNURM funds efficiently in areas BBMP lacks funds.

It remains to be seen whether this youth leader will be able to make his mark on voters of Bangalore Central this time, against a seasoned politician like P C Mohan.

Related Articles

Check what your MP has done: P C Mohan, Bangalore Central
P C Mohan: After losing Assembly, back to Delhi race yet again

Sections:

About Josephine Joseph

Josephine Joseph researches and writes on urban governance, civic and environmental issues in Bangalore City, from a 'citizen' point of view.
Read more by Josephine Joseph

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Give the poor homes or allow them to build? Ambedkar Nagar may hold the answer

by and April 22, 2025 Governance
The residents of the resettlement site in Chennai have made gradual upgrades to their homes, but are yet to get formal land titles from the government.

Across Indian cities, resettlement policies have often failed to provide long-term solutions for displaced communities, leaving them with insecure tenure, inadequate infrastructure, and limited growth opportunities. These challenges become even more apparent in resettlement schemes such as Chennai's Perumbakkam, where displaced communities were relocated into government-built apartments nearly 30 kilometres away. Antony, one of the first allottees of a plot in Chennai's Ambedkar Nagar, compares plots and apartments. He explains that having land allows gradual construction and improvements. "This is best. Here, with land, we can construct over time. There (in Perumbakkam), they cannot. There, even if they have money,…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Making the invisible visible: Why Bengaluru needs effective groundwater monitoring

by April 16, 2025 Governance
Ten assessment points in Bengaluru are over-exploited for groundwater, while government bodies lack the resources for effective monitoring.

Monitoring groundwater level is like keeping a tab on your income and expenses—if you are spending more, it is a warning sign. You can cut down spending or find ways to earn more. Similarly, a city must decide whether to reduce extraction in certain areas or improve recharge methods, such as rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment, or preserving open spaces. So, does Bengaluru have enough groundwater monitoring systems? While a WELL Labs report estimates the city's groundwater consumption as 1,392 million litres a day (MLD), BWSSB’s groundwater outlook report states that the extraction is only 800 MLD. This suggests a significant…

Continue reading