Elections aren’t a spectator sport, they are lifelines to our democracy. It is our duty as a news organisation to help you make an informed decision through factual reports, ground investigations and hard interviews. Join us in this mission.
There was a time when Basavanagudi area was the toast of all Kannadigas in Bengaluru. The food was great, the temples prominent, the roads green along with quiet residential lanes. Over the past few years, the area has changed drastically with the steady increase of commercial establishments, the constant chaos of traffic in arterial roads and small lanes, and debris piled on the road due to constant road works and building constructions.
The incumbent BJP MLA, Ravi Subramanya, has been elected from this constituency for three consecutive times and is hoping for a fourth win in the upcoming Assembly elections. Ravi, a Brahmin, is facing UB Venkatesh, another Brahmin candidate from Congress. The Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] has given a ticket to Aramane Shankar, a businessman and first time contestant from the Vokkaliga community. Basavanagudi constituency has a considerable number of Brahmin and Vokkaliga population, of which a substantial size are senior citizens.
Ravi Subramanya’s closest rival in 2013 and 2018 has been K Bagegowda of the JD(S). In 2018, Subramanya won over Bagegowda with a comfortable margin of over 31,000 votes.
Ravi is banking on his accessibility to his constituents and his efforts with his nephew Tejasvi Surya, the Member of Parliament (MP) of Bengaluru South, to help many of the area’s residents whose money was stuck in Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank.
Most of the victims of the 2020 Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank scam were senior citizen residents of Basavanagudi. The bank collected more than Rs 1,500 crore through fixed deposits by promising annual interest rates as high as 12% - 16%. Around 170 residents lost 30+ years of savings. Due to restrictions by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), most people were unable to withdraw money and consequently, could not afford to pay medical bills.
Basavanagudi lacks proper parking facilities, bus stands, and a sturdy waste management system. The 50-feet main road along Hanumanthnagar reeks because of no garbage disposal. The current asphalting because of the Prime Minister's roadshow along Bengaluru South is worsening the traffic issue.
“Basavangudi's rapid commercialisation is affecting the residents. There has been a rise in the number of eateries in the area. These shops put their tables on the street and this adds to the traffic. People also construct 5-6 floors instead of the permitted 3-4 floors. Old trees that are likely to fall won't be cut down. They demand money to do that. Basavanagudi is losing its residential atmosphere,” says Anand Thirtha, member of the Basavanagudi Residents Welfare Association.
Besides, due to the ongoing road laying work in the Gandhi Bazaar area which falls under Chickpet constituency, residents on the Basavanagudi constituency have been subjected to jam packed bylanes. The BBMP has been redeveloping the road that leads through Gandhi Bazaar as a concrete road for almost eight months now, a work that shows no sign of completion.