Series: Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018

He has contested polls three times earlier, and has lost it to more powerful candidates from recognised parties. Yet, former AAP Spokesperson for Karnataka, Ravi Krishna Reddy, is an undeterred independent candidate, who has chosen Jayanagar assembly constituency for the elections going to be held in May 2018. Losing has not killed his spirit, but has only served to invigorate it. Jayanagar is where his journey started a decade ago, when he contested as an independent candidate. After joining political parties for some time, he is back to give the polls another shot, as he believes lawmakers have true power.…

After a meeting with the heads of various political parties, the District Election Officer, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad conducted a press meet to informed the media of nomination procedures for the upcoming election, on Monday, April 16, 2018. The filing of nominations for the polls will begin on 17th April, 11am onwards. Between 17th and 24th, nominations can be filed between 11am and 3pm. The Commissioner specified rules for the nomination process: not more than three vehicles and five people including the candidate can be present within 100m of the office of the RO. Nomination paper and the format for…

Our desire is to make a difference to the politics of the state by actively engaging in the perspective building of political manifestos in the coming elections of the state and later aim at working with the state and its agencies in shaping the governance structures. We intend to have quarterly, department-wise interactions with the elected government to follow-up on the promises made by the winning party and the commitments made on our manifesto.   The recommendations that have been raised have been taken from critically viewing the development of the state over the last five years as well as…

Runners Manifesto A demand from the runners in Bengaluru to the contestants in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Elections 2018 Our Vision General physical and mental well being of citizens Green lung space Reduction in pollution Safe space for commute by walking/cycling Urban commons for community engagement Better standards of liveability. With the right infrastructure for runners, multiple objectives are achieved for the city. The city of runners Bengaluru is not only known as the Silicon Valley of India but is also the running capital of the country. Year long salubrious climate and convergence of various expats has brought the love…

Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan is a two-term Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Malleshwaram, contesting for a third time from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A doctor by qualification, he is considered to be an approachable MLA, by the people of his constituency. In a free-flowing conversation, he talks about his work, beliefs and his plans if he is elected again. Edited excerpts from the interview: This is your third election contest. When you contested for the first time, what was the one problem in Malleshwaram which you thought was most evident, and what is the status of that problem today?…

Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) undertook this study focusing on the 27 Assembly constituencies and today released the rating of the MLAs. Bangalore city in spite of being progressive city in several segments, voter turnout in the city is the lowest in the past elections. Bengaluru has voted 47.22% and 58.27% respectively during 2008 and 2013 Assembly elections. B.PAC under it’s Election Habba initiative carried out a range of initiatives/programs. Initiatives Impact One Million New Votes (OMNV) campaign to facilitate new voter registrations 14,830 Registered Forms, 56 Campaigns across residential communities, Tech campuses and educational institutions Myconstituency,MyManifesto toengage with communities…

Each year, an MLA is given Rs 2 crore to spend on developmental works in his constituency. He/she can allocate the funds for government, community and health infrastructure, to create permanent solutions to the problems. This article gives an idea on how and what can the funds be spent on. ☛ Click here for full data set of works done/ sanctioned under N.A Haris’ MLA Local Area Development Funds. An MLA is given Rs 10 crore for spending on his constituency in five years. N.A. Haris’ accounts show an expenditure of Rs 9.34 crores in five years. He appears to have…

This is a 'Green Manifesto, objective of which is a commitment from the candidates contesting the elections to include “A Healthy Environment for the Well-being of the citizens” as an agenda in their general Manifesto. “Namma Kasa Namma Jawabdari” is the basic principle on which this document is drafted. A healthy environment is the ultimate source of everything critical for our survival - providing healthy food and materials, to the land we live in, water sources that sustain us to the air we breathe. We want clean habitat for ourselves and also for the villages that surround our city. We…

Nalapada Ahamad Haris, Member of Legislative Assembly from Shantinagar, has been in news for all wrong reasons recently, due to the controversy related to his son. Going by media reports, he is in the danger of losing the Indian National Congress (INC) ticket this time, to contest from Shantinagar. Haris has represented the constituency for last 10 years. Citizen Matters had interviewed him during his campaign in 2013 to understand his vision for the constituency. Since the term has ended, we went back to him, to understand how he spent last five years, what he could do and could not…

It was a tenet that helped two journalists bring down an American president. But the essence of “follow the money” is also sound advice for citizens to follow around their political representatives. The Karnataka Legislators’ Local Area Development Scheme (KLLADS) which are more popularly known as LAD funds gives an annual budget of Rs 2 crore to our MLAs to plug infrastructure gaps in their constituency. An analysis of its details gives the electorate a fair idea of what their MLA has prioritised over the last five years of his/her tenure that allow the electorate to make an informed opinion…