K R Puram by-election: Info on candidates, constituency and more

Basavaraj Byrathi, who was elected from the Congress here in the 2018 assembly election, is returning as the BJP candidate. M Narayanaswamy, an MLC, is the Congress candidate

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 Two other candidates had withdrawn their nominations, and two others’ were rejected.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: BA
  • Profession: Businessman, MLC (Member of Legislative Council)
  • Online:
  • Pending criminal cases: Nil
  • Net worth
    • Total assets: Rs 22.3 crore
    • Movable assets: Rs 4.18 cr
    • Immovable assets: Rs 18.13 cr
    • Liabilities: Rs 1.65 cr
B A Basavaraja (Basavaraj Byrathi)

Bharatiya Janata Party

  • Family: Spouse and two dependents
  • Educational qualification: PUC
  • Profession: Businessman
  • Online:
  • Pending criminal cases: One
  • Net worth
    • Total assets: Rs 40.16 cr
    • Movable assets: Rs 34.93 cr
    • Immovable assets: Rs 5.2 cr
    • Liabilities: Rs 15.58 cr
C Krishnamurthy

Janata Dal (Secular)

  • Family: Spouse
  • Educational qualification: 7th std
  • Profession: Agriculturist
  • Pending criminal cases: Nil
  • Net worth:
    • Total assets: Rs 52 lakh
    • Movable assets: Rs 2 lakh
    • Immovable assets: Rs 50 lakh
    • Liabilities: Rs 1.05 cr

Complete list of candidates 

Candidate Party Symbol
M NARAYANASWAMY, 59, BA, Businessman and MLC Indian National Congress Hand
B A BASAVARAJA, 55, PUC, Businessman Bharatiya Janata Party Lotus
C KRISHNAMURTHY, 67, 7th std, Agriculturist Janata Dal (Secular) A lady farmer carrying paddy on her head
SURYAKANTH SUBRAMANYAM, 35, BA, Business Independent Coconut farm
N KEMPARAJU, 65, 7th std Raita Bharat Party Tiller
VENUGOPALA, 27, BE, Own electrical engineering works Yuva Karnataka Paksha Diamond
KRISHNAMURTHY V, 35, 7th std Independent Battery Torch
STANLEY PRASANNA J, 29 Independent Pen nib with seven rays
T K DASAR GOWDA, 51, MA Independent Helmet
JAGADEESHA KAGEPURA, 45, JOC Tech Education Karnataka Rashtra Samithi Whistle
CHALUVALI RAJANNA, 52, SSLC, Social service Independent Ganna Kisan
SANTHOSH M, 33, B Tech Uttama Prajaakeeya Party Autorickshaw
L RAMA KRISHNA, 44, 9th std Independent Bat

Results of 2018 assembly elections

In the 2018 assembly election, Byrathi Basavaraj won 1,35,404 votes, which made up over 53 percent of the vote share. The runner-up, Nandiesha Reddy of BJP, won 1,02,675 votes (around 40 percent). The JD(S) candidate came a dismal third, with only 6578 votes, or 2.59 percent.

Name Sex Age  Category Party General votes Postal votes Total Votes % votes
B A Basavaraja M 54 Gen INC 1,35,230 174 135,404 53.31
Nandiesha Reddy M 46 Gen BJP 1,02,468 207 102,675 40.42
DA Gopala M 62 Gen JD (S) 6565 13 6,578 2.59
NOTA 2458 6 2,464 0.96

(ECI)

About the Constituency

[flexiblemap src=”http://data.opencity.in/Data/Karnataka-Assembly-Constituency-151-1.kml” width=”100%” height=”400px”]

KR Puram assembly constituency was carved out of Varthur and Yelahanka constituencies in 2008. This constituency comprises Horamavu, Ramamurthy Nagar, Vijnana Pura, KR Pura, Basavanapura, Devasandra, A Narayanapura, Vijnana Nagar and HAL Airport wards. It is situated in a prosperous area, and is among the most revenue-generating regions in the city.

KR Puram has had a fast rate of growth, especially as multinationals and the IT industry sought to set up companies here. But the roads are badly maintained and full of potholes, while traffic congestion is heavy, especially near the Tin Factory and KR Puram hanging bridge. Some low-lying areas in Horamavu ward often get flooded during rains. This constituency has five lakes, but water bodies such as Horamavu, Devasandra and Kalkere lakes have been polluted and encroached.

Lack of water as well proper drainage and sewerage systems are major concerns here. Sewage seeps from cesspits and contaminates ground water. Stray dog menace, lack of good street lights, and faulty garbage clearance are other issues. There are no parks or playgrounds either. Borewell connections are arbitrarily made, so a lot of land has been dug up illegally.

K R Puram is said to be among the constituencies in Bengaluru with the highest number of voters.

Total number of registered voters: 4,87,857

Registered voters in 2018 assembly election: 4,38,156

[Note: Number of registered voters has been updated based on ECI press release of 2.12.2019]

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