Politicians manage BBMP poll tickets for kith and kin

The coming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls will contribute in its own way to dynastic politics.

Sitting and former legislators cutting across party lines have managed to secure tickets for their kin for the August 22 elections.

R V Yuvaraj, son of Chickpet MLA and Congress leader R V Devaraj, will test electoral waters for the first time from the Sudhama Nagar ward. Yuvaraj’s uncle R V Venkatesh is chief whip in the Legislative Council.

Yuvaraj, a 25-year-old BBM graduate, has worked for the Youth Congress.
Asked about his family's political background, he said: “My father’s contribution to the constituency will definitely help me in the elections. At the same time, top Congress leaders have recognised the work I have done in the Youth Congress for the last eight years.”

Another debutant from a political family in the Congress is B N Nitesh Purushotham, son of sitting legislator M T B Nagaraj (Hoskote Assembly constituency).

This 30-year-old MBA, contesting from the Garudacharpalya ward, has been pitted against his uncle, former Congress corporator N Pillappa, who was denied a Congress ticket and is contesting as an independent candidate.

Former Congress legislator N L Narendra Babu’s brother N L Mahesh Kumar will contest from the Nagapura ward in the Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly segment. Babu represented the Assembly segment between 2009 and 2013.

Like Babu, JD(S) leader K Gopalaiah, too, climbed the political ladder by first becoming corporator, representing the Vrushabhavathi ward in the erstwhile Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BMP) in 2001-06.

He is remembered for solving the drinking water shortage in the ward and also providing free medical check-up and treatment to the poor.

Gopalaiah’s deeds as a corporator helped him win the 2013 Assembly polls. Gopalaiah has now secured a ticket for his wife S P Hemalatha, who is contesting from the same ward. Kriya Shylaja, wife of another JD(S) MLA, Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, is contesting from the Muneshwara ward.

In another part of Bengaluru, sitting Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath of the BJP has managed to get a ticket for his wife Vanishree for the Chowdeshwari ward.

Vanishree is not new to politics, having been a member of the Bangalore Urban District Zilla Panchayat.
Malleswaram MLA C N Ashwanthanarayan, also of the BJP, has secured a ticket for his relative K M Druthi from the Gayathrinagar ward.
The BJP has also given ticket to Poornima Srinivas, daughter of former JD(S) State president, late A Krishnappa, from the KR Puram ward. Poornima was a Congress corporator in the previous BBMP council from Basavanapura ward.
The rotation of reservation has resulted in several former corporators not being able to contest.
However, in a majority of instances where the ward has been reserved for women, former corporators have secured tickets for their wives.
The highest number of such instances — 20 — are in the BJP. Some of them include Leela Shivakumar from Chickpet, Kamala Ganesh from Chamarajpet, Malathi Somashekar from Shakambarinagar and R Prathibha Ramesh from Puttenahalli.
DH News Service