Compare Bangalore Central candidates before deciding your leader!

by April 13, 2014 Governance
This is your one-stop site for comparison - interviews, profiles, affidavits - everything!
You are going to vote for a candidate as your MP for the next five years; this might not be a one-minute decision if you have an open mind and are willing to compare the candidates. This cheatsheet is meant to help get all the info for your own comparison in one place, so that you spend less time searching.

Bengaluru Central comprises of Rajajinagar, Chamrajpet, Gandhinagar, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar, C V Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura assembly constituencies.

It has around 15 lakh voters, from various communities and linguistic backgrounds, and includes large slums and traditional neighbourhoods of Shivaji Nagar, Gandhi nagar, Central Business District , as well as apartments, gated communities and enclaves of newer areas like Bellandur and Whitefield towards the east.

Specific links:

Info on candidate from the major parties:

P C Mohan, BJP

Symbol: Lotus

  • Age: 51
  • Edu: 12th Pass
  • Businessman (Ceramics & Tiles)
  • Website: pcmohan.org

2009:

  • Assets: 5.37 cr
  • Liabilities: 3.28 cr

2013

  • Assets: Rs 30.36 cr
  • Liabilities: Rs 17.69 cr

2014:

  • Assets Rs 47.57 cr
  • Liabilities Rs 26.11 cr

MP Performance

Campaign Trail

V Balakrishnan, AAP

Symbol: Broom

  • Age:49, Edu:  ICWA/ICAI
  • Fmr CFO, Infosys
  • Chairman, MicroGraam and Founder Exfinity Funds
  • Website: aapkabala.com
  • Assets: Rs 189 Crore
  • Liabilities: Rs 3.2 Lakhs

Interviews

Campaign

Rizwan Arshad, INC

Symbol: Hand

  • Age:34, Edu: B.Com
  • Youth Congress President 
  • Assets: Rs 3.2 Crore
  • Website: rizwanarshad.in

Profile:INC’s Rizwan no greenhorn

Interviews

Campaign

Nandini Alva, JD(S)

Symbol: woman farm labourer carrying a stack of paddy on her head

  • Artiste and Entrpreneur
  • Age: 52, Edu: BA
  • Assets: 80.78 cr
  • Liabilities: 3.78 cr

Profile: When an artiste makes her arangetram in politics

Interviews

Campaign

Issues of the constituency

  • Bangalore Central has Bellandur lake – Bangalore’s biggest lake. This lake is facing the threat of extinction, as there is a multicrore project coming up on its catchment area, by encroaching the drains, despite protests by local residents. This has been covered extensively by Citizen Matters, and is an election issue here this time.
  • Mahadevpura constituency has Whitefield, which is facing the problems of illegal layouts, illegalities by builders, road issues and traffic problems. Citizens are much more active here than other parts of the constituency. Water scarcity is plaguing this part of Bangalore. Citizens are demanding sustainable solutions to water problems.
  • Like all other parts of Bangalore, this constituency too has the same problems – traffic problems, garbage disposal issues, illegal constructions etc. Metro work is going on in most of the areas and is expected to finish soon, but it remains to be seen how much traffic will it take away from roads.
  • Varthur lake is filled with sewage and needs a sewage treatment plant. The residents are clueless on whom to approach to get this done.
  • The state budget allocation for rejuvenating lakes isn’t much – and there is no plan on which lake it should be spent on. So all citizen groups fighting for various lakes are clueless on how to get the things done.

How a MP can participate in local issues?

When politicians say local issues should be taken care by BBMP, it is true. However, since an MP is also a councillor in BBMP, he can take up local issues and get the things done for the public. Therefore local issues can also become poll issues, and an MP can contribute towards solving it. He can also utilise his MPLAD funds towards solving such issues, rather than randomly building toilets and digging borwells.

Useful links

General manifesto comparisons: By The Hindu

Water policy: By Indiawaterportal / Arghyam

 

Related Articles

Sitting MP Mohan disarmed by newbie candidates
Check what your MP has done: P C Mohan, Bangalore Central

Sections:

About Meera K

Meera K is the co-founder of Citizen Matters, the award-winning civic media platform. She also helped initiate Open City, an urban data platform (opencity.in). Meera is an Ashoka Fellow, recognised for her work building open knowledge platforms that allow citizens to collaborate and improve their cities. She is Founder-trustee at Oorvani Foundation.
Read more by Meera K

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