Find out how KR Puram Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA B A Basavaraj, and other candidates, including DK Mohan (INC) and C Venkatachalapathi (JDS).
About the constituency
The Krishnarajapuram or the KR Puram assembly constituency located in the northern part of the city has the highest share of voters. It was carved out of the Vartur and Hoskote constituencies. The wards include: Babusapalya, Kalkere and Basavanapura. Bharatiya Janata Party’s Byrathi Basavaraj or B A Basavaraj, the current Minister of Urban (excluding Bengaluru) Development of Karnataka, is the sitting MLA for the region.
The constituency also hosted the newly opened metro line to Whitefield (Kadugodi) spread across 15 kms. Despite the missing link between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram, which is currently being bridged by BMTC feeder buses, the daily ridership still rose to 26,000 in the weeks following the inauguration. In addition to the extended Purple Line, the constituency will also host the proposed airport line. KR Puram will act as the connection station between Central Silk Board, Nagawara and Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The line recently achieved a breakthrough when it launched its first two sets of U-girders (structures on which tracks will be laid).
At a glance
| Constituency Name | Krishnarajapuram |
| Constituency No | 151 |
| Constituency Area (in sq.km) | 56.29 sq. km |
| Number of voters (January 2023) | 487,546 |
| Male voters | 254,747 |
| Female voters | 232,636 |
| Other voters | 163 |
Data for all 28 constituencies can be found here. Corresponding source: ceo.karnataka.gov.in
Key issues in the constituency
The constituency is rife with traffic issues. Though the new metro link, despite the missing link, is a significant development in the area as it has put KR Puram on the Namma Metro grid. However, pedestrians and metro users have complained about the lack of foot over the bridge (FOB) between the KR Puram metro station and the rail stations. This absence has led to commuters facing considerable risk while crossing the road and the busy junction between the two key transit nodes.
In an article, BMRCL PRO Yashwant Chavan mentioned to Citizen Matters that there is a plan in the works to construct a FOB. The traffic-choked junction is proposed to be made easier to navigate once the FOB is constructed by the BMRCL, which will shortly start widening the road from the Tin Factory skywalk to the KR Puram station. However, the latter has been stalled as the land hasn’t been handed over to the BMRCL by the Bengaluru Development Authority.
While the cable-stayed bridge at KR Puram has been a significant landmark as an engineering marvel, the routine instances of traffic congestion, coupled with the construction of two metro lines, have added to the discomfort of thousands of commuters, especially in the last five years.
During the heavy rain spells in September 2022, the district commissioner had to shut down schools as several streets of the region were left flooded.
Similarly, an activist has accused MLA B A Basavaraj and BBMP Corporator of being involved in a scam concerning Anganwadi centres and public toilets in nine wards of KR Puram. He states that fake files about the construction have been created to divert Rs.97 crore allocated for these works.
Recently, there have been several reports of crime that have cropped up in the area. A woman was found to have been murdered in her home while a case of road rage resulted in the death of two women and injured three others. The National Green Tribunal rapped the BWSSB and KSPCB on their knuckles for the continued inaction over preventing sewage from entering the KR Puram lake.
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* |
|---|---|
| 60 govt schools, 1 school per 0.93 sq km | Medium |
KR Puram has 60 government schools and 100 private schools. There is at least one school for every 0.93 sq km
Mobility
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| 2 metro stations | NA |
| 112 bus stops, | Low |
| 12.2 bus trips per 100 residents | Low |
The constituency has two metro stations, and the average distance to these stations is 4 km. There are 112 bus stops and there are 200 bus stops per unit area of KR Puram, explaining its ‘low’ rating. The buses essay 53,867 trips, which is an average of 12.2 bus trips per 100 residents.
Citizen engagement
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| Voter turnout 2013: 58.91% 2018: 54% | Medium |
| 228 ward meetings | Medium |
| 25.3 meetings per ward | Medium |
There was a sharp decrease of nearly 5% of the voters from the 2013 assembly elections to the 2018 one. The constituency saw 228 ward meetings being held, which meant 25.2 meetings per ward.
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* |
|---|---|
| 4 UPHCs | – |
| 3 Namma Clinics | – |
| 0 BBMP health centres/maternity hospitals | – |
| 78 Anganawadis | – |
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
Traffic snarls and lack of adequate road and water infrastructure are among the region’s dominant problems.
Following the incessant rains last September, the residents of KR Puram conducted an inspection of stormwater drains and found that they had not been de-silted and lacked a retaining wall. Following accidents, they have demanded that the rajakaluves be fenced or have grills surrounding them. They have sought better roads that are free of potholes and re-asphalted.
Concerning the state of road infrastructure, local residents have complained that recently laid concrete roads in Jagdish Nagar of the constituency have been dug up for re-laying, alleging that public money has been squandered for this duplicate exercise.
Incumbent MLA: B A Basavaraj
KR Puram’s MLA is B A Basavaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is currently the state’s Minister of Urban (excluding Bengaluru) Development and has been representing the KR Puram constituency since he was elected in 2013 and then again in 2018. He started out as a Corporator for Hoodi in 2009, and has also been a panchayat member. Having been a close aide of former C Siddaramaiah, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019 after having been denied a ministerial post.
He was among the fourteen legislators who resigned during the Congress-JD(S) ruling coalition that year, which drove the ruling government to collapse. He and 16 others were disqualified under the anti-defection law after their resigned from their respective parties. He contested the bye poll as a BJP candidate and retained his KR Puram seat
Work in the term
As per the MLA LAD data of 2018, Basavaraj has spent Rs 9.79 crore for the development of his constituency. This includes the Rs.2.62 crore spent on road development, construction of education facilities, temples, etc. However, there were reports of disproportionate allocation, where their entries did not justify the expenses. “There are mysterious items the purpose of which remains unclear. For example, public interest work worth Rs. 30 lakhs has been undertaken” the report found.
In the news
As the Minister for Urban Development, he has also proposed the construction of an elevated stretch from the cable-stayed bridge to the Medahalli junction. To tackle flooding, he also asked the BBMP officials to widen the earthen drains (kaccha drains) in Mahadevapura Zone by “de-silting them so that the flow of water is seamless.”
His constituency, which houses the IT corridor, is plagued with infrastructural issues such as “bad roads, potholes, streetlights, polluted lakes, flooding in low-lying areas, traffic jams” which is said to pose a hurdle in the assembly polls for Basavaraj, a report predicted. However, his good rapport with different ethnic groups of the constituency is predicted to work in his favour.
His alleged involvement in a land grab case also made the news, when Congress staged a protest in the assembly demanding his resignation on moral grounds. He was also among the people named in the complaint regarding the death of KR Puram police inspector HL Nandish for causing him “physical stress and agony.”
Questions raised in the Assembly
- He introduced the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the assembly
List of candidates
Incumbent MLA: B A Basavaraj (BJP)
- Education: BA First year, Government Arts College, Bengaluru
- Profession: Business
- Online: Email- ba.basavarajamla@gmail.com
- Net worth: Rs. 122 crores
- Political experience: Corporator, legislator and currently the Minister of Urban (excluding Bengaluru) Development
Wealth declaration
| Details | Holdings in 2018 | Holdings in 2023 | Change in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movable Assets | 33.59 Cr | 36.63 Cr | 9.05% increase |
| Immovable property | 56.99 Cr | 85.88 Cr | 50.68% increase |
| Liabilities | 13.68 Cr | 2.38 Cr | 83.6% decrease |
| Total | 90.58 Cr | 122.51 Cr | 35.2% increase |
Source: https://affidavit.eci.gov.in/
Candidate: D K Mohan, INC
- Education: BE Civil Engineering, Bangalore University
- Online: Facebook- dkmohanofficial, Twitter- @dkmohanofficial, Instagram- dkmohanofficial
- Profession: Educationist, social worker
- Net worth: Rs 137 crores
- Political Experience: NA
Candidate: C. Venkatachalapathi, JD(S)
- Education: B. Com incomplete, MES College, Mulabagal
- Online: Twitter- @cpathi999, Instagram- c.venkata_chalapathi
- Profession: Real estate agent
- Net worth: Rs. 6.2 cr
- Political Experience: NA
Full list of candidates
Past elections results
| 2018 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.A Basavaraj | Male | INC | 53.31% | |
| 2 | Nandiesha Reddy NS | Male | BJP | 40.42% | |
| 3 | D.A Gopala | Male | JD(S) | 2.59% |
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