Find out how Padmanabhanagar Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA R Ashok (BJP) and other candidates.
About the constituency
Located in the south of the city, the Padmanabhanagar constituency consists of the Umamaheshwari ward, Ganesh mandir ward, Vikram Nagar and Kamakya Nagar. The Member of the Legislative Assembly representing this constituency (formerly Uttarahalli) is Bharatiya Janata Party’s, R Ashok. L. Shobha Anjanappa served as the Corporator from 2015-2020 for Padmanabhanagar, which falls within the Bengaluru South BBMP zone. The area is made up of Brahmins and Vokkaligas. It is also the constituency where JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda resides. The constituency was carved out of Uttarahalli in 2008, among seven other constituencies.
At a glance
| Constituency Name | Padmanabhanagar |
| Constituency No | 171 |
| Constituency Area (in sq.km) | 10.66 sq. km |
| Number of voters | 269,297 |
| Male voters | 137,250 |
| Female voters | 132,030 |
| Other voters | 17 |
Data for all 28 constituencies can be found here. Corresponding source: ceo.karnataka.gov.in
Key issues in the constituency
As per news reports, Padmanabhanagar is a residential hub located in South Bengaluru and BJP’s MLA R. Ashok has been elected from the region multiple times now. Problems such as a road caving in on Ittamadu main road, causing a sinkhole to appear and flooding of homes near Devegowda Petrol Bunk in Kamakya and Ganesh Mandir ward have plagued the residents.
Additionally, activists have flagged the attention of the concerned authorities to the state of the neglected Ittamadu Lake and the numerous encroachments upon it. This prompted the Karnataka Lokayukta to “issue notices to BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore Urban, Commissioner of Survey Settlement and Land Records, Tahsildar of South, and the BBMP Chief Engineer (Lakes)” based on a PIL filed by activists.
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.
While there maybe a number of PHCs within a constituency, the real state is reflected by the availability of staff and their capacity, distribution and access of these facilities within the area, the availability of free medicines, availability of equipment and diagnostic facilities, efforts in preventive/promotive healthcare and community participation, in addition to the process challenges of insistence on documentation like Aadhar, taayi card.
Schooling
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| 15 govt schools, 1 school per 0.71 sq. km | Medium |
While the region has 84 private schools, there are only 15 public or government schools, which is one school every 0.71 sq. km. Most of Bengaluru’s constituencies, which have fared better in this regard have a school for every 1 sq km.
Mobility
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| 0 metro stations | NA |
| 57 bus stops, 1 stop per 518.2 unit area | High |
| 23.9 bus trips per 100 people | High |
The bus network for the region has fared better, as there is one bus stop for every 518-unit area. 64,191 trips are essayed by the BMTC, which means there are nearly 24 trips per every 100 people.
Citizen engagement
| Metrics / Count | Rating* |
|---|---|
| Voter turnout 2013: 58.44% 2018: 57.76% | Medium |
| 177 ward meetings | Medium |
| 22 meetings per ward | Medium |
Between the assembly elections in 2013 and 2018, the voter turnout marginally decreased in Padmanabhanagar. There were 177 ward meetings held in all the wards, which is an average of 22 meetings per ward in Padmanabhanagar. It has been rated ‘medium’ for the same.
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 | – |
| 6 Namma Clinics | – |
| 1 BBMP Maternity hospital, 0 BBMP healthcare centres | – |
| 45 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
Among news reports, the residents of the ward seek better traffic management, road infrastructure and gatekeeping of their lakes. When a flyover was constructed over the Devegowda Petrol Bunk junction, which used to be a chokehold for traffic, residents expressed their contention over the number of trees that were chopped down for the project.
In 2018, the citizens demanded that saplings be planted at places where the grown trees have been axed, to “bring back the glory of South Bengaluru.” The same report also mentions citizens seeking the installation of CCTV cameras in public spaces and streets for monitoring personal property.
Additionally, in 2019, the Namma Metro pillar at the South End Circle station reported structural issues with a pillar. The BMRCL clarified that there were no cracks and it was just a “visible construction joint.”
Incumbent MLA: R Ashok
Bharatiya Janata Party’s R. Ashok is the sitting MLA for the Padmanabhanagar constituency. He has served as the state Minister for Municipal Administration (2020), Deputy Chief Minister (2013), and Minister of Home Affairs (2013), Minister of Transport (2013) and Minister of Health and Family Welfare. He has an attendance record of 91.43% in the assembly.
He is currently the Revenue Minister of Karnataka and Vice-Chairman for the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority and the district in-charge minister for Bangalore Rural. The incumbent MLA has been a six-time legislator, including when the Padmanabhanagar constituency was part of Uttarahalli.
Work in the term
The revenue minister recently issued work orders to private firms for the filling of potholes in the city’s arterial and sub-arterial roads. “The BBMP has procured 585 loads of uninterrupted tar supply for the streets of Bengaluru. Of the 13,074 km of roads in the city, the BBMP has so far fixed potholes on 246km” the report quoted him saying.
He was also responsible for overseeing the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Health Minister K Sudhakar’s absence and appointing N. Manjunath Prasad as the then BBMP Commissioner.
In the news
- He was recently in the news for claiming to build a second Cubbon Park on 184 acres in Yelahanka, across the villages of “Bettahalasur, Sondappanahalli, and Kadiganahalli.” The green environment is proposed to house an amphitheatre and a lake and will be located close to Kempegowda’s birthplace (Avati), after whom the park will be named after.
- On the Idgah ground issue in Chamrajpet, R. Ashok promised to legally challenge the Supreme Court’s refusal for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and its order for the status quo. He also made comments against INC’s Siddaramaiah about the former Chief Minister contesting from “Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh to win the election.”
- The legislator, who is also the Mandya district in-charge Minister, faced hostility in the district during his visit where he was met with “boycott” and “go back” posters This was followed by him writing a letter to CM Basavaraj Bommai requesting him to relieve him of his duties as the district in-charge, to which Bommai acquiesced and removed him as the Minister-in-charge.
List of candidates
Incumbent MLA R Ashok, BJP
- Education: B. Sc, VV Puram College of Science
- Profession: Agriculturist, Public servant
- Online: Twitter- @RAshokaBJP, instagram- @r.ashoka_official, Facebook- RAShokaBJP
- Net worth: Rs.43 crore
- Political experience- Current state Revenue Minister and former Minister for Municipal Administration (2020), Deputy Chief Minister (2013), and Minister of Home Affairs (2013), Minister of Transport (2013) and Minister of Health and Family Welfare.
| Details | Holdings in 2018 | Holdings in 2023 | Change in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movable assets | Rs. 3.73 Cr | Rs. 11.64 Cr | 212% increase |
| Immovable assets | Rs. 36.8 Cr | Rs. 75.53 Cr | 105% increase |
| Liabilities | Rs. 2.93 Cr | Rs.9.57 Cr | 227% increase |
| Total | Rs. 40.53 Cr | Rs. 87.34 Cr | 115% increase |
Source: https://affidavit.eci.gov.in
V Raghunath Naidu, INC
- Education: VII Pass
- Profession: Business
- Online: Instagram- v.raghunath.naidu, Facebook- V Raghunath Naidu
- Net worth: 52 crore
- Political experience- NA
Ajay Mayanna Gowda, AAP
- Education: B.A Global Academy of Technology, Bengaluru, MA at Bedfordshire University UK
- Profession: Software Developer, Entrepreneur
- Online: Twitter- @AjayMGowda, website- https://www.ajaygowda.in, Instagram- @teamajaygowda
- Net worth: Rs. 35.19 crore
- Political experience- NA
Full list of candidates
Past election results
| 2018 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Ashok | Male | BJP | 65 | 48.18% |
| 2 | VK Gopal | Male | JD(S) | 53 | 28.28% |
| 3 | M Srinivas | Male | INC | 75 | 20.67% |
| 2013 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Age | Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Ashok | Male | BJP | 60 | 41.82% |
| 2 | LS Chethan Gowda | Male | INC | 35 | 26.14% |
| 3 | Dr. MRV Prasad | Male | JD(S) | 67 | 20.47% |