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Election Commission, through many special drives, has been focusing on getting more voters registered. Here are some observations based on the final voter roll numbers shared by the Election Commission. 20.7 Lakh voters have been added to the 28 constituencies of Bengaluru, 3.16 lakhs have been added in the two months March - May 2018! From an average of 2.5 lakhs voters in 2015, Bengaluru constituencies have an average voter roll size of 3.25 lakhs. The smallest constituency is Shivaji Nagar with 1.96 Lakh voters, the largest is Bengaluru South, three times that size, with 6.03 lakhs. Mahadevapura follows with…

The two term MLA from Yelahanka is from BJP who had defeated four-time MLA B Prasanna of the Congress in 2008. Yelahanka is a hot spot for real estate development given its proximity to the Bangalore International Airport and that the National Highway passes through. He states himself to be a agriculturist. S R Vishwanath was raided by the Lokayukta in 2011 and according media reports, they had recovered 2.6 kgs of gold, 11 kgs of silver as well as Rs 14 lakh and Rs 3500 in cash. Affidavit: In his affidavit filed with the Election Commission in 2013, the…

Priya Krishna, one of the youngest MLAs from the city, made waves for being the richest contestant. The Congress MLA who represents Govindarajnagar for the second time had declared moveable assets to the tune of Rs 815 crores and immovable assets upto Rs 95 crores. His father Krishnappa is the MLA from Vijayanagar. He has been a member of the Congress party since 2003 according his website. He is also one of the most qualified candidates in the city with the education qualification of MA-LLB. He is a Golfer who represented Karnataka in the 2001 National Games held in Punjab.…

Zameer Ahmed Khan is a three-term MLA from Chamarajpet. He was fielded in the constituency by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda after former chief minister S M Krishna vacated the seat when he appointed Governor of Maharashtra. The Daridra Narayana rally held at Palace Grounds in 2004 to introduce the relatively new Khan heralded his political star. His close proximity to H D Kumarswamy saw him part of many a political dramas including the coup against the Dharam Singh Government in 2006 when HDK broke ranks with his father to align with the BJP. In 2016, Khan led…

The first term MLA from Mahalakshmi Layout won his election on a JD(S) ticket. In 2017, he was suspended from the party along with his party colleagues from the city, Zameer Ahmed and Srinivas Murthy for cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha Election in 2016. He was brought back into the party's fold after an apology to the party disciplinary committee. He began his political career as a municipal corporator from Vrushabhavathi ward. The seat was later won by his wife, Hemalatha Gopalaiah, who was elected as the 50th Deputy Mayor of Bangalore. The MLA has maintained a low profile and…

S Muniraju is a two-term MLA from Dasarahalli. He won his seat in 2013 with high margin of almost 22 thousand votes. Muniraju states he started his political career as labour leader  from 1976 before joining the BJP. Muniraju in his affidavit states there are four cases pending against him. The tenth pass MLA has declared assets worth Rs 1.45 crores in currency other forms without including land. Dasarhalli has elected BBMP corporators from all three parties though the BJP has the numbers. The issues are similar to all the newly added areas to Greater Bengaluru - lack of drains,…

M Krishnappa is a second term MLA from Bangalore South Constituency, that includes Begur which holds historical importance and the Jigni industrial area. The BJP website states that Krishnappa began his political career in 1983 helping with his brother’s campaign and was first elected in the 2006 Zilla Panchayat elections to Uttarahalli which was still not part of the Greater Bengaluru. In 2011 he became the Deputy Chairman of BMTC. The PUC pass MLA states his occupation as entrepreneur of cottage industries.  More info: MyNeta profile of Krishnappa Affidavits: According to his affidavit, his annual income has grown from Rs 21,76,950…

Roshan Baig, one of the most prominent Muslim politicians from Indian National Congress - Karnataka, was an active member of the NSUI and Youth Congress during his student days. He defeated well-known film maker Nagathihalli Chandrashekar for the post of General Secretary at RC College in hi9s student days. However his political career did not begin with the INC. Despite his close proximity to Congress leader Lalith Maken (who was killed in the aftermath of the 1984 Sikh riots) who was the observer for the Karnataka elections, he was denied a ticket by the Congress. He won the Shivajinagar Constituency…

Muniratna Naidu, the first-time MLA from the Indian National Congress (INC) represents Rajarajeshwari Nagar Constituency. He began his political career as a Municipal corporator from Yeshwanthpur and was previously a private contractor. He was named in the Lokayukta Report in 2010 for being responsible for the death of Sanjana Singh, an 17-year-old student, who died when the wall of Government Veterinary Hospital collapsed on her. Munirathna was the BBMP contractor who had built the structure. His name also featured in fake bill scam unearthed by Technical Vigilance Cell of BBMP. His affidavit to the Election Commission in 2013 makes no…

S Suresh Kumar, a lawyer by profession, came into electoral politics as a city corporator in the year 1983 from the BJP. He was also its leader in the Council. Suresh Kumar has been closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and was even jailed during the Emergency. He became an MLA from Rajajinagar in 1994 and has been elected from the constituency from four times since then except in 2004 when he was defeated by Narendra Kumar N L of the Congress. He was the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs in the first BJP led Government of…