ELECTIONS

Go anywhere in Mahadevapura, you can see the ubiquitous water tankers. Ask anybody about their key demand from the candidates - you will hear, water, water and water. The election campaign here seems to be a mainly a two-party fight between the reasonably well-known BJP sitting MLA Aravind Limbavali and his Congress rival A C Srinivas. Most candidates are focussing on road shows, but many voters are still not aware of the candidates. It is a tough challenge for candidates to cover the large constituency, especially the apartments and gated communities who do not give permission for campaigners within their…

What politicians and political parties think of us urban middle/upper middle class peopleThey look at us as apathetic at best and cynical at worst. So they don't feel the need to engage with us because we won't be a part of any political base that they can build on.What we think of politicians and political partiesIneffective at best and corrupt at worst. It doesn't matter who comes to power because nothing will change for the good so what's the point of voting and helping someone amass wealth and commit atrocities.How does this status quo work for usThis status quo doesn't…

Urban development minister in Bangarappa's cabinet, K J George is a veteran Congressman in the state. He has managed to retain his MLA seat so far, despite the controversies regarding him getting a G-category site allotted and getting land from Vyaalikaval Housing Society. Here are the excerpts of the interview. What are the problems faced by your constituency?We have done a lot of things in last five years. Drinking water problem was there. We have put a lot of borewells and drinking water schemes. I also put five water tanks. Now fortunately Cauvery stage-IV phase-II has started and we are…

Its 8:30 am and Doctor MRV Prasad is on his rounds - but this time it's a different kind of rounds. Dr Prasad is contesting the MLA elections from the Padmanabhanagar constituency on a JD (S) ticket. He is constantly going door-to-door asking people to vote for him. The campaign is a low-key affair, with only a handful of supporters walking with Prasad. Dr Prasad has been a physician in Thyagarajanagar for the last 40 years. A man on scooter, on spotting Dr Prasad, stops and tells him that he went by his nursing home but there was no one…

The Deputy Chief Electoral Officer P T Kulkarni has confirmed that people whose names are the voters' list this month can vote on 5 May, even if they have not received the voter ID card. This comes as a relief to the citizens who have registered and found their names on the roll, but do not know whether they will be turned down at booths for want of EPIC cards. "Those who don't have EPIC can vote with any of the 21 documents that we have specified, as was the case in the last elections also. Instructions have been issued…

The election slogan of the Congress for the coming elections is ‘Sakkappa Saku', JD(S) is calling upon the citizens to "Be the Change". Likewise, each party has its own slogan. At the end of the day, when all the dance and drama is over, the elected representatives from each of these parties, cutting across party lines and ideology will have only one mantra... the mantra of how to double their personal assets in five years (provided the government stands). Note: This website will soon be migrated to a new system.  If you face any issues, do mail us. You can also…

The last time the Janata Dal (Secular) came to power in Karnataka was in February 2006, when the JD(S) withdrew its support to the Dharam Singh government to join hands with the BJP. While the two political heavyweights, H D Kumaraswamy and B S Yeddyurappa, agreed on the 20-20 formula to occupy the Chief Minister's post, things didn't go as planned. Note: This website will soon be migrated to a new system.  If you face any issues, do mail us. You can also reach us through Twitter or Facebook! Bengaluru This Week Get our free weekly newsletter. Name Email Bengaluru This…

Uday Garudachar's candidature on a BJP ticket from Chickpet came as a surprise for many. While he has previously stood as an independent in Bihar for Rajya Sabha seat, Garudachar has not been politically active in the city, just as he states being a BJP member for the last six years. Uday Garudachar has an Electronic Engineering degree from Bangalore University. Maverick Holdings, an entity for which Uday Garudachar had been the managing director, has been involved in many government projects including affordable housing projects. Garuda Mall, one of the early malls in Bengaluru, was built by Maverick Holdings on…

The Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC), has come out with a comparison of the manifestos of major parties in the state, specifically with reference to Bangalore city. The comparison in tabular format also comprises it own recommendation on the issues. The parties under consideration include the Janata Dal -Secular (JD-(S), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress (INC), Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) and Loksatta party.   The various points in the manifestos have been categorised under broad issues like ‘Governance', ‘Infrastructure', ‘Waste Management', ‘Law & Order', ‘Economy', ‘Health & Housing', ‘Education' and ‘Miscellaneous'. Governance For better governance, the JD(S) is proposing an…

Note: This website will soon be migrated to a new system.  If you face any issues, do mail us. You can also reach us through Twitter or Facebook! Bengaluru This Week Get our free weekly newsletter. Name   Email       Bengaluru This Week archives. He is not even a corporator. But many of his ideas have been implemented successfully by various government and civic bodies, to make life better for most. He came up with the idea of big-10 buses, and the BMTC implemented it. As an advisor to the Bangalore traffic police, he came up with a smart…