Keen contest between Cong, BJP

The Rajajinagar Assembly constituency will see two strong contenders from the BJP and Congress locking horns this election.

The BJP has fielded senior leader and four-time MLA S Suresh Kumar. Of the five elections that he has contested, Kumar has lost only one.

The Congress, on the other hand, has given a ticket to former BBMP mayor G Padmavathi. The JD(S) has fielded H M Krishnamurthy.

Kumar has gained popularity with the electorate for being approachable, while Padmavathi, too, has been reaching out to voters and apprising them about her contribution to the constituency during her tenure as the mayor.

Rajajinagar is one of the oldest areas of the city and mainly consists of middle-class, educated and salaried families. It has a good mix of Vokkaliga and Brahmin voters, besides a large number of Lingayats, most of them from North Karnataka.

Water shortage, poor condition of roads, lack of public spaces and inadequate parking spaces are a few issues that the constituency faces.

Residents of Rajajinagar are generally happy about the basic amenities. However, traffic and encroachment of footpaths remain a concern here.

Padmavathi, however, differs. She claims that there has been little development in the area over the past few years.

“The MLA grants have hardly been utilised here. If I come to power, my priorities would be to address water woes, provide recreation and sports clubs and develop public spaces,” she said.

Kumar has been visiting individual households in the constituency by foot to reach out to the electorate. He could not be contacted for a reaction.

The road along Modi Hospital towards Basaveswaranagar has TenderSure footpaths. However, with many building projects under way here, the material is dumped on the pavements, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road.

“The roads are full of potholes. Even after complaining to local authorities, the issue was not addressed,” said Abhijith Revankar, a resident of Basaveshwarnagar.

Around Ram Mandir, pavement slabs have gone missing in many places. In Prakashnagar, irregular water supply is an issue. Though the constituency has several playgrounds, these have not been developed adequately, complain the residents.