ELECTIONS

Hebbal, once considered the northern endpoint of the city, is now the epicentre of its growth, as Bangalore spreads its tentacle-like flyovers in every direction. The last two decades have seen the conversion of what was essentially a cluster of villages, set apart by Hebbal Lake, into one of Bangalore’s busiest and populated suburbs. As Hebbal turned into a gateway for the new airport, driving land prices up, rents and property rates in the heart of the city have rendered it unlivable for a large population. From private gated community projects to IT ‘parks’, Hebbal has witnessed explosive growth without…

Fourteen assembly election candidates from the city have been endorsed by the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC). B.PAC team includes Biocon Head Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman of Manipal Global Education Services T V Mohandas Pai, and former IAS officer K Jairaj. The rest of the team includes more corporate honchos, and sportspersons and artists. Candidates have been selected from across political parties - there are five Congress candidates, three from BJP, three from Lok Satta, two from JD(S) and one from KJP. BPAC says that political ideology was not a factor in candidate selection. B.PAC will contribute to the candidates'…

Prof B K Chandrashekhar, MLC and former IT minister, is Congress's candidate for Basavangudi this election. Chandrashekhar, 76, is a retired IIMB professor, and has worked in other universities in India and abroad. He has a post graduation in law from Leeds University, and a doctorate from Oxford University. He is currently one of KPCC's Vice-Presidents. He is also a former Chairman of the Legislative Council.Though the KPCC VP, Chandrashekhar talks less on the party's stand, and more on his personal views. He also positions himself rather as an exception within the party - as part of a minority that…

With over two lakh voters, the traditional neighborhoods of the Mahalakshmi Layout constituency are a hot spot for commercial activities too. Narrow roads and water supply shortage have been the foremost issues left unresolved by the incumbent and earlier elected leaders. Abutting the major localities of Yeshwantpur, Rajajinagar and Malleshwaram, this constituency has grown at a fast pace. There is also an exodus of workers from Peenya Industrial suburbs to the quieter locales of Nandini Layout and Mahalakshmipuram. The constituency consists of seven wards. JDS and Congress have three corporators each along with the lone BJP representative, S Harish from…

Chickpet constituency, carved out during delimitation from parts of Basavanagudi, Chamarajpet and Jayanagar, is one of oldest business districts in Bangalore, home to thriving market places frequented by thousands. Yet, even as it is possibly one of the highest contributing areas to the state exchequer, the area is plagued by archaic civic problems, as well as others that are brought upon by the conflict between commercial interests and residential living. From choked roads, traffic bottlenecks and lack of parking spaces to choked drains, garbage problems, pollution and sanitation woes, the constituency seems to be crying out for an overhaul. Key…

Two of the city's biggest engineering colleges, one of its biggest medical colleges, a former prime minister along with a Rashtra Kavi call Padmanabhanagar their home. Yes, PESIT, Dayananda Sagar, Deve Gowda and G S Shivarudrappa, along with Goddess Banashankari, reside in this constituency which includes much of Padmanabhanagar, Kumaraswamy Layout, ISRO Layout, Yediyur and parts of Banashankari, Basavanagudi and Jayanagar. The incumbent and his promisesThe incumbent is three-term MLA and Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka. First elected in a bye-election in 1997 from Uttarahalli, India's largest assembly at that time, Ashoka was re-elected in 1999 and 2004. In…

Govindraj Nagar may be in the news for having one of the richest candidates, incumbent MLA Priya Krishna, but the neighbourhoods suffer from common city issues, with little done towards infrastructure development.The constituency covers Prashanth Nagar, Corporation Colony, BMP Colony, Govindaraja Nagar, Magadi Chord road Layout, Thimmenahalli, CHBS Layout, Binni Layout, Vijaya Nagar 1st Stage and a few other areas.The total number of voters was 2.78 lakhs during the 2009 bye-elections which has now come down to 2.39 lakhs as per the latest revision.  Incumbent MLA Priya KrishnaPriya Krishna (INC) is one of the youngest MLA in the Karnataka Assembly,…

Abdul Azeem, 60 is a former Assistant Commissioner of Police, while also being a former MLC, from Hebbal. Now standing on a JD(S) ticket, Azeem has served under a gamut of leaders from all leanings. Retiring in 2004, when he still had nine years of service to go, Azeem stood for the Assembly polls that same year from Binnypet and lost. Azeem's advantage is that he has lived and worked in the area, is better known and has a history of service.However, his plans to resolve Hebbal's key issues are sketchy, with talks of relegating growth to outside of Bangalore limits,…

He drove into Chaithanya Samarpan Layout at Kadugodi, around 5 kms north of Whitefield, in an entourage of three vehicles. All of the vehicles were the bulky SUV-types. The owners association had organised a meeting on Sunday (April 28) morning. Pic: acsrinivasa.com. A C Srinivasa is the Congress' candidate for the Mahadevpura constituency in north-eastern Bengaluru. He is the local man who rose from the grassroots to district panchayat president. His immovable properties are worth Rs.83 crores. He is clearly a rich landowner. He was Zilla panchayat president till 2011 and is currently Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee secretary. He was…

Located in the north-east part of Bangalore, the Sarvagnanagar Assembly Constituency has seen a lot of development in the recent past. With several educational institutions, hospitals and other commercial establishments, the area is thickly populated. But with the drastic rise in development and an influx of people, Sarvagnanagar is lagging behind in infrastructure. The foremost of problems faced by residents is that of drinking water. Key issuesMost northern and eastern parts of the city are facing acute water shortage. The peak of summer is a further testing time. The current MLA of the constituency, K J George (Congress) says he…