Governance

The people's mandate for Karnataka is clean and clear - they do not want to watch the episodes of resort politics, horsetrading and 'óperations' to continue. The Congress party has been given the mandate to rule the state for next five years - but it's no way an approval of the massive scams erupting at the Central government level. It is just that people have taken a chance to see if Congress is a 'lesser evil' for the state.In Bangalore, the number of Congress MLAs has gone up from 10 to 13 - an increase of just two seats. Anekal,…

It is perhaps the result of the persistent efforts of various civic groups to prompt people to vote. It might also be the increasing frustration among people about the lack of good governance. Whatever may be the reason, this election has proved different for Namma Bengaluru. The city recorded an overall 58.27% voter turnout in the assembly elections - a percentage unheard at least in last 10 years - a humongous 10% more than 2008 elections. People queuing up at a polling booth in Whitefield early in the morning. Pic: Anantharaman R, Kadugodi resident. Passion flows on the net, and…

Basavanagudi - the very word summons the image of the big bull’s statue from which its name has been derived. Famous Bull Temple and annual Kadle Kai Parishe make this oldest locality very special to every Bangalorean.However, this area has been witnessing rapid development over the years. The extent of greenery has proportionately reduced with trees being cut everywhere. Many sewerage and water lines are almost 50 years old and need replacement. Garbage disposal, erratic water and power supply and lack of parking facilities also plague this constituency. The Tagore Circle underpass is another issue that needs to be addressed.…

What time are the booths open?Polling starts at 7am and ends by 6pm. How to find your polling booth?  To find your name on the rolls and print the details, do the following:Go to http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/vernacularSearch_New.aspxSelect the district (usually Bangalore, or Bangalore Rural), your constituency, and put your name, relative's name, gender, and hit search.If your entry exists, it will come up on the screen. Click the details link on left hand side of the entry line and you will get a blue popup box that displays all your details including booth location.Using your mouse, mark the entire box. Copy and…

Rajaji Nagar was among the first few ‘planned areas' in the city. The size of this constituency is about 5.5 sq km. After remaining a traditional, residential area for long, there has been haphazard development here. Many residential areas have commercial developments now; unplanned growth and illegal buildings is an issue.This area has many educational institutions, hospitals and temples. Rajaji Nagar Industrial Area houses many large and small industries.The constituency is BJP-dominated - six out of seven wards here have BJP corporators. The wards here are Dayananda Nagar, Prakash Nagar, Rajaji Nagar, Basaveshwar Nagar, Kamakshipalya, Shivanagara and Sriramamandir. Of these,…

Most KJP election candidates in the city are ex-BJP workers. But in Sarvagna Nagar, the party is fielding Michael B Fernandes, who had been with the JD(U) until recently. Fernandes, 78, is a trade union activist, and is the brother of former union minister George Fernandes. His wife Donna Fernandes is the founder of Vimochana, a city-based women’s rights group. Fernandes is a physics graduate from Madras University, and is a retired engineer from ITI Ltd. A former corporator, MLA and MLC, Fernandes has been active in politics for the last 53 years. He was elected as a corporator for…

K R Puram constituency has areas that were newly added to the BBMP. Hence the civic issues here are also many, compared to core city areas. HAL Airport and DRDO division come under this constituency. So do ITPL, Tin Factory and ITI (Indian Telephone Industries).K R Pura is a large constituency covering nine wards - Horamavu, Ramamurthy Nagar, Vijnana Pura, K R Pura, Basavanapura, Devasandra, A Narayanapura, Vijnana Nagar and HAL Airport. The constituency is BJP-dominated. Eight out of nine wards here have BJP corporators; only Basavanapura has a Congress corporator. The main issue here is water shortage. Until recently,…

Shanthi Nagar constituency includes many of the posh areas in the city. A large part of the Central Business District - including MG Road, Brigade Road, Richmond Town etc - comes under this constituency. In addition to malls, this constituency also has traditional markets like Johnson Market. Shanthi Nagar bus stand is also located in this constituency. Even then, there are many basic infrastructure issues here. There are many slums that do not even have basic facilities like toilets or water. The constituency comprises seven wards - Jogupalya, Shantala Nagar, Domlur, Agaram, Vannarpet, Nilasandra and Shanthi Nagar. In these wards,…

It is election season in the city and the rest of the state. Most of the local news is about the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and various political parties, campaign activities, problems existing in different constituencies and . In addition to this, are stories about voter awareness drives, poll code violations, contestant support campaigns by groups such as B.PAC and Praja Rajakiya Vedike, a political platform launched in 2010. Apart from all this, there are some specific groups of people who have brought out what they expect of the representatives to be elected, through detailed manifestos. These include…

Bangalore South Assembly Constituency is one of the largest in Karnataka, it consists of more than 4.1 lakh voters (an increase from 3.74 lakh voters in 2008) and comprises of the following BBMP wards: Gottigere, Konankunte, Anjanapura, Vasanthpura, Uttarahalli, Yelchenahalli and Begur. The constituency also includes five zilla panchayats and 10 gram panchayats. There are industrial areas (including Jigani), the Bannerghata forest, neighbourhoods with highrise apartments as well as smaller villages that got merged with greater Bengaluru. Incumbent MLA M KrishnappaM Krishnappa is a former Zilla Panchayat member. He secured the seat in the 2008 elections by a huge margin…