A tough contest is expected between the Congress and the JDS, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no base in the constituency.
BENGALURU: With just 2.31 lakh voters, the Pulikeshi Nagar assembly segment is one of the smaller constituencies in Bengaluru. A reserved constituency, it has about 80,000 voters from the economically weaker scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC/ST) section of society.
Pulikeshi Nagar is a mix of a slums, narrow lanes, and thickly-populated residential localities interspersed with sprawling bungalows of the colonial era. Most of the Britishera residences in Richard’s town and Frazer town have been converted into apartment complexes. The constituency which also has a sizeable Muslim population, comprises seven municipal wards, one of which is represented by city mayor R Sampath Raj.
The Big Issues
Improper sanitation, housing, supply of drinking water and poor roads are some of the issues plaguing the poor areas. Dengue is a common occurrence here. For residents in the posh parts, the issues upmost on their minds are the heavy traffic and waste collection.
KG Shashidhar Uppal, secretary of Richards Town Residents Association is worried about the commercialisation of residential localities. He also said the perennial traffic problem at the two under-bridges near Bengaluru East railway station and in Frazer Town (which divides the central and eastern parts of Bengaluru), need a permanent solution.
“The government should work out a way to improve the living condition of people who live in slums. We see most of them on the footpath and the children run around on the road. This has caused several accidents,” he pointed out.
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Veena Vaidyanathan, a resident of Cooke Town, said she has no expectations of any political party. “The city needs a party that’s free from corruption. The roads that are laid are so bad. Even the officials are not bothered.Road digging has become a habit,” she said.
Direct Fight The Pulikeshi nagar assembly segment is represented by Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, one of the seven rebel JDS MLAs who joined the Congress recently.
A tough contest is expected between the Congress and the JDS, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no base in the constituency. The BJP’s vote-share in 2013 and 2008 was 4.57% and 14.18%, respectively.
