Ahead of the Indian Premier League, Karnataka’s Assembly witnessed a rare moment where lawmakers briefly set aside their ideological differences to unite over a far more pressing crisis: not getting enough VIP cricket tickets.
Speaker UT Khader has now asked the government to secure at least four VIP tickets for every MLA after a spate of complaints against the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
The issue was first raised by Leader of the Opposition, BJP’s R. Ashoka, on March 26 during a debate on Bengaluru’s development. He was particularly aggrieved that despite the state having generously leased land for the stadium at a throwaway rent, they have to face the horror of paying Rs 20,000. He demanded that the Cricket Association should be “taught a lesson.”
“We have given 16.32 acres for the stadium at a monthly rent of Rs 1,600. They make us beg for one ticket. They don’t give tickets to MLAs. When they do, the charge is as high as Rs 20,000 per ticket. They’re sitting on thousands of crores. We should teach them a lesson,” Ashoka said.
Ashoka also questioned the excise licence granted to the KSCA, suggesting that stronger regulatory oversight could help address the issue. BJP member Abhay Patil demanded an inquiry into alleged black-marketing of tickets, claiming that even MLAs willing to buy tickets were unable to access them. Some members also complained that they were given only “ordinary tickets” and were not recognised on match days.
Supporting the demand, Congress MLA Vijayananda Kashappanavar sought at least five tickets for each legislator and called for improved seating arrangements, including a dedicated lounge. He also urged that MLAs be provided passes for the grand opening match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 28.
“There is an IPL match that is going to start on the 28th of this month. Karnataka State Cricket Association is not providing tickets to MLAs, Ministers, and their families. They are taking all the facilities from the government. They are getting all the security, everything. But they are not respecting MLAs,” he told reporters.
Responding to the House, the Speaker directed Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to take up the matter with the KSCA and ensure the minimum ticket allotment. Shivakumar said he would speak to KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad, adding that he saw nothing wrong in legislators seeking such perks.
The only opposition to these VIP treatment demands came from MP Tejasvi Surya. The BJP MP took to X to condemn the entitlement of the politicians, while failing to mention the names of his colleagues who first sought such perks.
“The MLA’s (Congress MLA Vijayananda Kashappanavar) statement is wrong. And frankly, not surprising,” he wrote, arguing that the debate exposed misplaced priorities. He said raising such an issue in the Assembly diminished the dignity of the Vidhana Soudha itself.
“Why should the KSCA, or any sports body, give free tickets to MLAs? Why should they ‘owe’ them anything? This is plain entitlement. Feudal thinking,” he wrote.
He added that MLAs refusing to sit with the public or demanding a separate gallery reflected a belief that they were “above the very people they represent.” If citizens buy tickets, he said, so should elected representatives. “Unless we call this out clearly, we will keep normalising a culture of entitlement,” he wrote, calling the demand “wrong” and something that “must be opposed.”
Many users however pointed out that it was Opposition leader R Ashoka who had first raised the demand on the floor of the House.