The city will go to polls tomorrow for the general elections. The results of all the eight phases of elections will be announced on June 4.
As the country goes into the second phase of Lok Sabha elections tomorrow, Karnataka is all set to vote in its first phase. Tomorrow 14 Lok Sabha constituencies out of the total 28 will cast their votes. Polling in Karnataka will be held in two phases, April 26 and May 7.
Key constituencies going to polls tomorrow include Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Mandya, and Mysuru.
The main contestants include H.D. Kumaraswamy (JDS), Tejasvi Surya (BJP), Sowmya Reddy (INC), Shobha Karandlaje (BJP), M.V. Rajeev Gowda (INC), P.C. Mohan (BJP), D.K. Suresh (INC) and Yaduveer Wadiyar (BJP).
With less than 24 hours to go for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, here is what the people of Bangalore expect from the to-be-elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from their areas.
While Lok Sabha elections are fought to elect members to the parliament keeping in mind the national issues, people of Bangalore expect their MPs to work for their issues at local level too.
Bangalore North:
Congress’s M V Rajeev Gowda and BJP’s Shobha Karandlaje are the two candidates contesting from the Bangalore North constituency in Karnataka. Bangalore North Parliamentary Constituency includes eight Legislative Assembly segments. The segments include: K. R. Puram, Byatarayanapura, Yeshwanthapura, Dasarahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout, Malleshwaram, Hebbal and Pulakeshinagar.
The major issues that the people of the constituency highlighted include water scarcity, improved connectivity, better employment and educational opportunities, proper sanitation facilities, and improved surveillance systems in streets.
Bangalore South:
BJP’S Tejasvi Surya and Congress’s Sowmya Reddy are contesting for the Bangalore South seat. The constituency comprises eight Legislative Assembly segments: Govindaraja Nagar, Vijayaagar, Chickpete, Basavanagudi, Padmanabhanagar, BTM Layout, Jayanagar and Bommanahalli.
Voters of Bangalore South demand solutions to issues like pollution, mismanagement of garbage and most importantly, the ongoing water crisis. Civic issues of Basavanagudi mirror those of the city’s, as residents pointed out broken pavements, vehicles parked on roads, garbage strewn on footpaths and the ongoing water crisis as some problems that seek government’s attention.
Bangalore Central:
BJP’s P C Mohan and Congress’s Mansoor Ali Khan are the key candidates in the constituency. The constituency comprises Sarvagnanagar, C V Raman Nagar, Shivajinagar, Shanthinagar, Gandhi Nagar, Rajajinagar, Chamrajpet and Mahadevpura.
Voters of Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency demand resolution of civic issues like water crisis and narrow roads. Chandan, a working professional from Rajajinagar said that whoever comes to power should find a solution to the ongoing water crisis in Bangalore.
Women from Rajajinagar say that the state government’s guarantee schemes might favour the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections. Nandini, a working professional, said that the Shakti scheme which provides free bus rides for women is a good initiative. She hoped that the ones who come to power would reduce the price of petrol and LPG cylinders.
Bangalore Rural:
Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha Constituency has Dr C N Manjunath from the Bharatiya Janata Party and DK Suresh from the Indian National Congress contending for the seat. The seat comprises eight assembly segments: Kunigal, Anekal, Magadi, Ramanagaram,Kanakapura,Channapatna,Rajarajeshwarinagar, and Bangalore South.
Proper management of industrial emissions and infrastructure development are the key demands of Bangalore Rural residents.
Manjesh Gowda, a working professional, said that roads and infrastructure in the area need serious attention. “Year after year, manifestos promise that the poor roads in the area and the lack of infrastructure would be looked after but after the elections, nothing is done in the matter,” he said. He would not be surprised if their wait continues even after this election, he added. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that Bangalore would see a sunny day as it goes to polls tomorrow.
Lovely Tyagi, Steffy Maria Paul, and Arunima Pal contributed to this story.
