ELECTIONS

Bengaluru is known for its high levels of citizen activism, but low level of citizen participation in elections, the most important instrument of democracy. The trend continued this Lok Sabha election too. However, some apartment societies did a lot of work to buck this trend and improve the voter turnout. One such society was ours - Prestige Shantiniketan in Whitefield. With 3000 flats, 12,000 residents and more than 2000 registered voters, we are a powerhouse in terms of voter numbers, and we did everything to make sure we had a high voter turnout this election. To start with, we had…

It will be yet another test for incumbent MP and BJP candidate Kirron Kher when Chandigarh votes on May 19th. Actor turned politician Kher found success late in life. Moving to Mumbai from Chandigarh in 1979 with her then businessman husband, the dimpled actress was unable to get a break in Bollywood’s fickle world. It was only after her marriage to Anupam Kher in 1985 that she found acceptance among movie producers. This hard-earned success was put to test in 2014, when the BJP chose her for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat over the claims of local party leaders. A…

Kolkata-based cyber security expert and entrepreneur Niraj Agarwal is among the 13 candidates who are in the fray for the Kolkata South Lok Sabha constituency that goes to polls on May 19th. But there is one key difference between him and the 12 others. Far removed from the high decibel political campaign of his chief rivals, Niraj is quietly stirring a movement on one of the most important pressing issues of his constituency and of cities in general, but which hardly finds mention in political circles. In an exclusive tete-e-tete with Citizen Matters, this independent candidate says that the real…

Chandni Chowk Parliamentary constituency comprises 10 assembly constituencies: Adarsh Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Shakur Basti, Tri Nagar, Wazirpur, Model Town, Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal and Ballimaran. The constituency came into existence in its current form after a delimitation exercise in 1993 and 2008. So far, two Lok Sabha elections held in 2009 and 2014 have seen winners from the Congress and BJP respectively.   A total of 26 candidates are contesting from political parties and as independents from Chandni Chowk. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected  29 applications for the constituency for various reasons. According to the…

Dr. Harsh Vardhan represents Chandni Chowk in Delhi as a Member of Parliament besides being the incumbent minister at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Earth Sciences in the BJP-led NDA government. His political journey started in 1992 when he was elected as member of Delhi State Assembly for the first time. He was contesting from the Krishna Nagar constituency. He has been re-elected from the same constituency four times - 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013. He has been a minister at the Health Ministry, Law Ministry and Education…

With inputs from Sri Krishna, Delhi Considered a prestigious Lok Sabha seat, this constituency has been represented in the past by senior BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj, late chief minister Madan Lal Khurana and senior party leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra who defeated former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here. Given this pedigree, the 2019 contest, however, is between little known sitting BJP MP Ramesh Kumar Bhiduri, 57, and two new comers: AAP’s Raghav Chadha, a 31-year-old chartered accountant who is the AAP’s treasurer and national spokesperson, and Olympic medal winner turned professional boxer Vijendra Singh, 33, for Congress. It is spread…

Avoiding election frenzy and the intense heat of Delhi summers, South Delhi MP, Ramesh Bidhuri is seen spending most of his time in his poll war room in Mehrauli. His complacence comes from BJP’s strong organisational hold over South Delhi which is enough for him to dismiss his political opponents who are busy taking part in road shows and rallies. Since his college days, Bidhuri has been active in the BJP. In 2003-08 he became the Vice President of BJP, Delhi unit. He won three consecutive terms as an MLA from 2003 to 2014 . He stood as the BJP…

Gurgaon Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) Constituency comprises nine assembly constituencies - Bawal (SC), Rewari, Pataudi (SC), Badshahpur, Gurgaon, Sohna, Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka and Punahana. These constituencies are in the districts of Rewari, Gurgaon and Mewat. A financial and technology hub a few kilometers from the National Capital, Gurgaon, the Millenium City,  is considered one of India’s bellwether seats. A bird’s eye view of this constituency can be found here. Gurgaon started as a constituency in Punjab and had Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from the Congress Party as its MP for the first two Lok Sabhas. With Rao Inderjit Singh as its…

With inputs from Sri Krishna, Delhi Dropping its sitting member Udit Raj and fielding a non-filmi Punjabi and Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans could make the going tough for BJP, which had won all the seven Delhi seats in 2014. Udit Raj, 58, National Chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations, has now joined the Congress, vowing “not even a single Dalit will vote for the BJP." AAP leaders, however, have said that Hans Raj Hans cannot contest from this SC-reserved seat since he converted to Islam in 2014. The 2008 delimitation exercise saw North West Delhi came…

With inputs from Sri Krishna, Delhi Created as part of the 2008 delimitation exercise, the West Delhi Parliamentary constituency is comprised of 10 assembly constituencies:. Madipur, Rajouri Garden, Hari Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri, Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Dwarka, Matiala and Najafgarh. So far, two Lok Sabha elections held in 2009 and 2014 have seen winners from the Congress and BJP respectively.   This time, it is an even triangular fight between sitting BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, 41, Mahabal Mishra, 66, of Congress and advocate Balbir Jakhar, 45, of the AAP. The constituency has a large Punjabi and Jat population,…