ELECTIONS

With a pre-university degree, a Businesman for 23 years in sanitaryware retail and real estate. Won MLA elections from Chickpet in 1999 and 2004.Age: 45 years; Assets: Rs. 5.38 Crores; Criminal Record: Other Offences – FIR under Sec 147 and 174(A) of the Railway Act Q. What are the three priorities for your constituency?I would like to concentrate on infrastructure, then public amenities and environmental issues. these are the 3 issues I would like to concentrate for my constituency.Q. How do you plan to address these priorities in parliament? What is … there are certain issues can be sorted out…

Four terms as an MP. Served as a Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Tourism and Culture, Youth Affairs and Urban Development. Age: 50 years; Assets: Rs. 122.06 Lakhs; Criminal Record: None since 2004. Read his detailed interview here. Compiled with support of Smart Vote. Citizen Matters does not endorse any candidate or their opinions and the opinions of external websites linked to from here. ⊕

The invite stated – ‘expected start 6.30 – 6.45 PM’, but when the programme actually started, my watch had ticked over to 8.30 PM. We shouldn’t have expected anything better, with two senior politicians busy in the middle of a pitched election campaign. Most people landed up on time, to see the production crew still setting up the stage and the mosquito repellent machine doing its thing. However, sitting in the open grounds with the beautifully illuminated Bangalore Palace in the background and anticipating a lively discussion made the sizeable audience forgive the delay. Government smartvote addressing show (Pic: Poornima…

We all know Capt. Gopinath as the pioneer of low cost aviation in India. It's another matter that this whole business model is no longer viable, thanks to the vagaries of petrol price fluctuation and governmental rules and regulations. The fact remains that, in a time of monopolistic aviation practices, Capt. Gopinath undertook to start Deccan Aviation, which made traveling by air affordable to the common man for the first time. So, in our minds, this sense of ‘Capt. Gopinath empathizes with the common man’ was a kind of article of faith. And the news that he is standing for…

Bangalore South Parliamentary Constituency is one of the most prestigious constituencies in the country and comprises mostly of educated/elite voters. It is known as the educational and cultural capital of Karnataka.For the coming elections, all the major political parties have fielded their best and most educated candidates.BJP has fielded its National General Secretary Ananth Kumar, a post-graduate in Political Science with a law degree and expected to play a major role if the NDA gets a majority. The Congress has given a ticket to US educated, two-term MLA Krishna Byre Gowda, supposedly close to Rahul Gandhi. The JD-S has fielded…

I have been posting about my less-than-ideal experience with getting my Voter ID (EPIC). When a friend posted a "how-to" process on the Hasiru Usiru egroup, I posted my responses on it, too.Kathyaynin Chamaraj posted it on the CIVIC group, too, and forwarded it to several people. This resulted in two positive things:Someone from Jaagore did email me and listened to what I had to say, and has promised to look into the Jaaagore form and make it work. Hopefully, this will make things easier for other people, even if the process didn't work for me.Mr Elisha Andrew from the…

Here's an email that came in with tips, on how to register for Voter ID, on the Hasiru Usiru egroup, and my responses, comments and suggestions are in blue:The 15th Lok Sabha election is round the corner and it is our duty to go out and vote. The polling will be held on 23rd April in Bangalore. If you have not registered to vote yet, please do so now. I totally agree with this. I had an Election Commissioner Voter ID card from 1992. I could not find the card number on the net or on physical lists anywhere. And…

The voter list in respect of Jayanagar 4th Block has been taken out from the website and kept it for verification at: The Office of the Jayanagar Residents Welfare Civic and Cultural Association Office No. 284, 34th Cross, 9th Main Road,4th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore. 560011. All the residents of Jayanagar 4th Block are requested to verify their names in the list published by the Election Commission, Government of India as on 2nd February 2009. If any name has been left out in the above list, the residents can fill up Form No.6 and submit the same before 31st March 2009.…

Here are the steps on how to enroll... Which form?FORM 6: For inclusion of names on the voter's list, for inclusion of missing names and transposition of names from the previous to the present constituency (enclose copy of address proof and age proof if you are enrolling for the first time).FORM 7: For deleting or objecting to the non-resident and deceased persons’ names from the list.FORM 8: For making corrections to the particulars of oneself on the list.FORM 8A: For transposition of entry from one part of the roll to another part in the same constituency.Vote De! India, a non-profit…

  I have my old Election Identity card, but it was issued a long time back, and I cannot find any trace of it online at all. So I went.yesterday (Monday) to the BBMP office in J P Nagar 2nd Phase, showed the card, and asked the guy there what to do. He smiled (felt rather strangely) and said, "You have to go to Jayanagar 4th Block and get this card deleted and bring us back a stamped certificate to that effect."  This was quite irritating. Why cannot the system do the change without making me run around from one office to…