Find out how Jayanagar Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA Sowmya Reddy (INC) and other candidates, including C K Ramamurthy (BJP), Mahalakshmi C (AAP).
About the constituency
Famous as the first planned layout of Bengaluru, the Jayanagar constituency located in the south of the city is home to several tree-lined streets, parks and elite residential areas. The current Member of the Legislative Assembly from Jayanagar is Indian National Congress’s Sowmya Reddy. Part of the Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency, Jayanagar constituency houses the Green Line of the Namma Metro and will also have the proposed Yellow Line connecting Electronic City. The area has both residential and commercial establishments, with areas of Jayanagar and JP Nagar especially comprising eateries, restaurants, bars and shopping complexes. The constituency was in the news for evicting street vendors from their vending space in the Jayanagar shopping complex in the 4th block.
At a glance
| Constituency Name | Jayanagar |
| Constituency No | 173 |
| Constituency Area (in sq.km) | 9.29 sq. km |
| Number of voters (January 2023) | 201,625 |
| Male voters | 101,537 |
| Female voters | 100,073 |
| Other voters | 15 |
Data for all 28 constituencies can be found here. Corresponding source: ceo.karnataka.gov.in
Key issues in the constituency
In February 2023, the BBMP evicted 100 street vendors who had stalls, on the allegations of “allegedly encroaching on pavements.” The eviction was carried out despite the vendors having valid ID cards. The vendors claimed they were harassed and their vending carts were seized. This prompted a protest from the street vendors, who accused the BBMP of evicting them without prior notice, violating the Street Vendors Act, of 2014.
The Jayadeva junction that underwent the demolition of a flyover and undergoing the construction of two metro lines continues to be a traffic bottleneck and a pain point for commuters. The demolition of the flyover connecting Bannerghatta Road and Central Silk Board was scheduled in 2019, which had caused several curbs and diversions to be made on the traffic flow. While the junction has remained a hotbed for traffic, the proposed multi-level metro lines are proposed to de-congest the area.
However, in JP Nagar, the BMRCL had decided to save the Delmia Circle flyover and is planning on constructing the “proposed metro corridor under Phase III of Namma Metro above the existing structure.” The Delmia flyover, which was built in 2018 at the cost of Rs. 25 crore across 291 metres, will have a total of two piers of the proposed metro corridor constructed on either side of the flyover.
Last month, a man who had been groping and flashing women in JP Nagar was apprehended. The area has also been a victim of several cases of waterlogging and power cuts due to incessant rains in the past. There were also complaints of trees being uprooted as a result.
There were also several concerns about deforestation that had bothered the residents. For instance, residents of Jayanagar complained that the BMRCL had axed 18 trees without consulting them, for the upcoming RV Road and Electronic Road. What further agitated them was when the translocation exercise by the BMRCL went sideways, when 44 out of the 58 trees translocated by the BMRCL did not survive, according to the field inspection report by the Tree Expert Committee.
Alleging irregularities, BJP leader NR Ramesh recently filed a complaint with the state chief electoral officer claiming that “more than 9,000 voters were illegally added to the voters’ list in Jayanagar assembly constituency.”
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* |
|---|---|
| 10 govt schools, 1 school per 0.93 sq km | Medium |
The region has 10 government schools and 61 private schools, the latter is higher given that it is a higher-income area. There is one public or government school serving every 0.93 sq km of the 9.29 sq. km constituency.
Mobility
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| 4 metro stations | No rating |
| 44 bus stops | High |
| 25.2 bus trips per 100 residents | High |
There are four metro stations in the constituency and the average distance to those stations is 2 km. Jayanagar has 44 bus stops, which means there is one bus stop per 488-unit area. The buses essay 49,413 trips in the constituency, which means there are 25.2 bus trips for every 100 residents. This gives Jayanagar a High rating.
Citizen engagement
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| Voter turnout 2013: 55.93% 2018: 54.92% | Medium |
| 53 ward meetings | Medium |
The number of voters decreased marginally from the 2013 elections to 2018 in Jayanagar. There was a total of 153 meetings held, i.e 22 meetings per ward, giving it a Medium rating.
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* |
|---|---|
| 2 UPHCs | – |
| 4 Namma Clinics | – |
| 0 BBMP health centres/maternity hospitals | – |
| 19 Anganwadis | – |
Please note that the number of PHCs or Namma Clinic within a constituency is not sufficient to draw conclusions about the state of healthcare. We also need data on the availability of staff and their capacity, medicines, equipment, diagnostic facilities. Quality is also determined by the distribution and access of these facilities within the area, the efforts in preventive/promotive healthcare and community participation, in addition to the process challenges, for e.g., insistence of Aadhar or Thayi cards.
Click here for the details on how all constituencies fare and their source(s)
Constituency map
Citizen demands
Residents had also staged a protest against MP Tejasvi Surya for allowing “week-long commercial exhibitions multiple times” on the BBMP public playground, depriving the children of a play area. In a public consultation with their MLA, the residents had demanded solutions for “encroachments on footpaths, high-density traffic and BBMP’s inaction about pruning branches of trees to avoid the branches from falling.”
They have also sought transplantation plans for trees that were cut for the metro lines coming up in the area, the Electronic City and Nagawara lines. Following the concerns of waterlogging and flooding of homes during the city’s rain spells, resident groups in the low-lying region had questioned the civic authorities over encroachments over stormwater drains and lakes that had caused this.
Incumbent MLA: Sowmya Reddy (INC)
Indian National Congress’s Sowmya Reddy was elected in 2018 from the Jayanagar Assembly constituency, after the death of BJP candidate BN Vijaykumar, who was previously occupying the seat. She is also the daughter of a political veteran, former Home Minister and current BTM layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy.
She has been serving as the general secretary of the All Indian Mahila Congress since 2019 and was the Vice president of the Indian Youth Congress in 2017. She holds a B E in Chemical Engineering from RV College of Engineering and Masters’ in Environmental Technology from New York Institute of Technology. Her website also lists her as a proponent of social issues, such as environmental protection, women empowerment and participative politics among others. She can be reached at connect@sowmyareddy.in.
Work in the term
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she distributed ration kits to the UPHC in JP Nagar and to residents in Sri Vivekananda Residential Quarters, Ragigudda. She also inaugurated an international stand swimming pool in the Byrasandra ward of Jayanagar.
In the news
Reddy has been in the news recently when BBMP Corporators accused the legislator of blocking the developmental works in her constituency, stating that the Jayanagar commercial complex and adjacent areas were in shambles. Reddy hit back at them stating that their stance was merely a “poll stunt.”
She had also earlier quit the Karnataka State Wildlife Board over the contentious Hubli-Ankola railway project across the Western Ghats, stating that she cannot support the harmful and environmentally damaging project that is being implemented by the then BS Yediyurappa government.
She was also the state’s first vegan MLA who has been vocal about animal rights and the environment. Following the collapse of the metro pillar that killed a motorist and her son, Reddy demanded CM Basavaraj Bommai’s resignation.
Questions raised in the Assembly
- In the 2081 assembly session, she had questioned the continued usage of plastic despite a government order banning its usage in the stat
List of candidates
Incumbent MLA: Incumbent MLA Sowmya Reddy, INC
- Education: B.E Chemical Engineer, RV College of Engineering
- Profession: Environmentalist, Social Worker
- Online: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
- Net worth- Rs.78 lakhs
- Political experience- MLA since 2018, general secretary of the All Indian Mahila Congress since 2019, Vice president of the Indian Youth Congress in 2017
- 5 pending criminal cases, zero convictions
Wealth declaration
| Details | Holdings in 2018 | Holdings in 2023 | Change in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movable Assets | Rs 55 lakhs | 2.11 cr | 283% increase |
| Immovable property | Nil | Nil | – |
| Liabilities | Rs 5.6 lakhs | 0 | 100% decrease |
| Total | Rs 55 lakhs | Rs 2.11 Cr | 283% increase |
Source: https://affidavit.eci.gov.in/
Candidate: C K Ramamurthy (BJP)
- Education: 2nd PUC, BES College
- Online: Facebook- C.K.Ramamurthy, Twitter- @CKRBJP, Instagram- C.K.Ramamurthy
- Profession: Ex Corporator BBMP, Businessman
- Net worth: 33.90 crore
- Political Experience: former BBMP Corporator
- 3 pending criminal cases, zero convictions
Candidate: Mahalakshmi C (AAP)
- Education: Diploma in Psychology, Centre for health management and research, NHCA
- Online: Facebook- mahalakshmi.arun14, Twitter-@mahalak13962142, Instagram- mahalakkshmi_sahasraa
- Profession: Housewife
- Net worth: Rs.1.8 cr
- Political Experience: NA
Full list of candidates
Past elections results
| 2018 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age (as of 2018) | Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sowmya Reddy | Female | INC | 35 | 51% |
| 2 | BN Prahalad | Male | BJP | 59 | 49% |