ELECTIONS

The country is going to the polls in one of the most keenly watched elections of all time, and a collective of 70 environment and civil society organisations have appealed to voters to assess the threat to the environment and ecology when they cast their votes in the Lok Sabha 2024 elections. Here is what the organisations have said in a joint statement: As Indians prepare to vote in the Lok Sabha elections this year, it is very important to think of the future of our democracy, especially the youth and their right to clean air and water security in…

The Mekedatu project has been proposed, opposed and has lain forgotten several times over the past many decades. However, the project idea is revived during every election. The current issue of water shortage in Bengaluru has particularly spurred interest in it again. Politicians from both the BJP and Congress in Karnataka are now using the project as an election campaign talking point. Mekedatu, which is Kannada for goat’s crossing, is a rocky outcrop along the river Cauvery. It is situated within the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, around three kilometres from the confluence of Arkavathy and Cauvery River. Read more: Water shortage…

Name: Arvind Sawant Constituency: Mumbai South Two-term member of Parliament from Mumbai South constituency, Arvind Sawant, 73, started his political journey as a party worker with the Shiv Sena, when he started participating in agitations such as the Maharashtra- Karnataka border dispute protests.  He got into the trade union movement, when he founded the workers union of the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam limited (MTNL), where he worked.  Subsequently, he quit his job in 1995 to plunge into full-time politics and was nominated twice as member of legislative council ( MLC) from 1996-2010. He also played an active role in the Bharatiya…

In North Chennai’s Vyasarpadi, candidates from different political parties contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections are on the last leg of their campaign around the neighbourhood. This is an oft-repeated tradition among politicians, especially in working-class localities, where they offer guarantees like electricity, water, monthly financial assistance, free buses, job opportunities and more, promised through government schemes.  In Vyasarpadi, like many other parts of the city, while everyone votes every year, the reasons for the consistent participation are not necessarily rooted in in-depth political knowledge about candidates. The incentives promised by politicians are important for overall development of the community, but…

As the Lok Sabha 2024 election is underway, political parties have released their election manifestos. What do the parties promise for us urban residents? How do they plan to make our cities sustainable and liveable? Why cities matter In 2022, approximately a third of the total population in India lived in cities. The trend shows an increase in urbanisation by more than 4% over the last decade, which means that people have moved away from rural areas to find work and make a living in the cities. The demographic dividend of India is significant, with 65% of its population being…

The 2024 Parliamentary Elections saw over 600 million voters choose 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. Find out more about your elected representative, their promises and how you can hold them accountable over the next five years! Meet your new MPs! Chennai Chennai North - Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy Chennai Central - Dayanidhi Maran Chennai South - Thamizhachi Thangapandian Bengaluru Bangalore North Bangalore Central Bangalore South Bangalore Rural Mumbai Mumbai North - Piyush Goyal Mumbai South - Arvind Sawant Mumbai North East - Sanjay Dina Patil Mumbai North West - Ravindra Waikar Mumbai North Central - Varsha Gaikwad Mumbai South…

Table of contentsConstituency mapAt a glanceFind your polling booth:Candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha 2024 electionsKey candidates in the newsShobha KarandlajeRajeev GowdaPast election resultsConstituency key issuesAlso read: Bangalore North is a Parliamentary Constituency that includes eight Legislative Assembly segments. The segments include: K. R. Puram, Byatarayanapura, Yeshwanthapura, Dasarahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout, Malleshwaram, Hebbal and Pulakeshinagar. All the Legislative Assembly segments are a part of Bangalore Urban district.  Bangalore North held its first elections in 1951. The Constituency has had several names over the years. In 1957 and 1962, it was known as Bangalore City. In 1967 and 1971, it formed a…

Being the commercial nerve centre of the city, Chennai Central constituency has a significant population of migrants. From Chennai Metro Water department to the state electricity board and the GST and central excise departments, crucial city, state and central government offices are located in Chennai Central. The constituency is also a hub of healthcare institutions, with more than a dozen prominent government hospitals such as Government Children Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Kilpauk Medical College Hospital located here.  Chennai Central comprises of six assembly constituencies — Villivakkam, Egmore, Harbour, Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, Thousand Lights and Anna Nagar. Politically, the constituency…

Name: Manoj Kotak Constituency: Mumbai North East Manoj Kotak started working for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1989. Before being elected as an MP from the Mumbai North East constituency in the 17th Lok Sabha elections (2019), he served as a Municipal Corporator from Mulund from 2007 to 2019. In the 2019 elections, Manoj Kotak got 56.61 percent of the total of 9,09,181 votes cast, getting 5,14,599 votes. He defeated his nearest rival, Sanjay Dina Patil of the NCP by 2,26,486 votes. Kotak was chosen to contest the elections instead of popular leader Kirit Somaiya, who was reportedly gearing…

Table of contentsConstituency mapAt a glanceFind your polling booth: Key candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha 2024 electionsCandidates in the newsTejasvi Surya (BJP)Sowmya Reddy (INC)Arun Prasad A (BSP)Past election resultsKey issuesAlso read: Bangalore South is one of the 28 Parliamentary constituencies in Karnataka and among the four in the city. Currently, this constituency comprises eight Legislative Assembly segments: Govindraj Nagar, Vijay Nagar, Chickpet, Basavanagudi, Padmanabhanagar, BTM Layout, Jayanagar and Bommanahalli. All eight Legislative Assembly segments fall under Bangalore Urban District.  Bangalore South became a constituency in 1977, post the Emergency and after the reorganisation of constituencies across the country. The seat…