2 MLAs to enter Lower House for 7th time

Urban Development Minister R Roshan Baig is set to enter the Legislative Assembly for the seventh time as he defeated the BJP’s Katta Subramanya Naidu in Shivajinagar by 15,040 votes. Along with Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Baig is now the senior-most MLA from Bengaluru.

While Baig secured 59,742 votes (55.06%), Naidu got just 44,702 votes (41.20%) out of the 1,08,535 votes cast. In 2013, Baig had defeated the BJP’s Nirmal Surama by 20,855 votes. In 2008, he had won by 10,396 votes.

Commenting on his victory, Baig said he had faith in the people of the constituency as he a “connect” with them and that he had grown up in the bylanes of Shivajinagar. He won in 1985, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2013 from Shivajinagar and Jayamahal constituencies. Interestingly, he won from Shivajinagar in 1994 on the Janata Dal ticket.

Baig has held the portfolios of Haj and wakf, home, tourism, infrastructure, information, public relations, urban development, city corporations, urban land transport, KUWSDB and KUIDFC.

His rival, Naidu, had won twice from Shivajinagar in 1999 and 2004 and from Hebbal in 2008. He didn’t contest in 2013 after being jailed on corruption charges.

The voting pattern in Shivajinagar is different from other constituencies. The constituency has seen five Congress MLAs, three of the Janata Party while the BJP represented it only twice.

Voters had complained about the lack of development in Shivajinagar, raising Naidu’s prospects. He also claimed to know the constituency very well. But at the end, Baig had the last laugh.