"Election Buzz: Nagasandra Edition"

    


Karnataka experienced the most crucial political confrontation in recent days, with state assembly elections at risk. The political atmosphere in the state has been heating up in recent days, with political groups preparing for a fierce battle to capture the majority seats in the state parliament.

          Karnataka has historically been a politically volatile state, with many changes in ruling parties. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the 2018 assembly elections but fell eight seats short of a majority. The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) forged a post-poll partnership to form the government, but it was short-lived, with multiple defections and resignations resulting in the cabinet's collapse, clearing the way for the BJP to return to power. Hence making the 2023 elections a crucial one for the political coalitions as they determine the fate of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. As election day approaches, the Kampli region of Bangalore has the highest voter turnout. 

   With a focus on our constituency Dasarahalli, the BJP led by DV Sadananda Gowda defending Krishna Byre Gowda won the 2019 elections by a margin of 147518 votes. Because the majority of voters in this constituency come from low-income families, their primary demands include land title transfer, good government services, and a clean living environment. The seat will be vital in elections since it includes regions such as Nagasandra and Peenya, which are well-recognized for their industrial areas and contribute to the city's considerable development.  Amid this political drama, the president of Peenya Industries claims to have been demanding a township. Small-scale business owners claim that their problems are still unresolved. While these areas pay taxes totaling 5-6 thousand crores, industrial units struggle for proper roads, electricity, and water supplies. The concern is whether a leader will finally fulfill election pledges or abandon them as soon as they win, as has happened in previous years.

    In terms of leadership, the constituency has four prominent candidates. 

Mr. S Muniraju, a two-term MLA from Dasarahalli, is a BJP member who began his career as a labor leader. Mr. G Dhananjaya, the second candidate, is also a businessman with various higher-level positions at educational

institutes in and around Bangalore. He represents the Congress party, and he is followed by Mr. Keerthan Kumar, an educationist who graduated from the University of London. He represents the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has recently entered the campaign for the seat. Finally, Mr. R Manjunatha is a JDS party representative who plays a vital role in the constituency elections. 

         While these leaders struggle for their seats, they are frequently accompanied by the blame game that every Nagasandra resident is sick of. Whether it is traffic congestion or uneven development in the constituency, the current contender criticizes the incumbent of the previous MLA. The blame game continues when questions are asked.

 When RTI was requested, the data supplied showed that RS 1,123 crore was allocated to the constituency, but we as Nagasandra citizens perceive that nothing has changed. How did this money simply vanish into thin air?

        While the blame game between the BJP and the JDS continues, Congress claims that the constituents are tired of seeing the same faces. They require a new face who is well-educated and capable of bringing about real change in the constituency. Some of the schemes launched by INC include free bus transport for women, 200 units of free power, and much more, but an issue arise here is whether freebies genuinely lead to the development of any local economy or make it less self-sufficient. Instead of suggesting freebies that will never reach the proper individual, why not build economic models that will make the economy self-sufficient and produce employment?

When I went to the ground level and asked the citizens living in the constituency of Nagasan
dra this is what they say;

People on the older side of the generations who owned shops in and around Nagasandra backed the JDS party and believed that it was the JDS party that would finally bring about change in the constituency and its development. People from the working class and the younger generation supported the Bhartiya Janata Party. We also encountered a few folks who did not trust that any party would actually do anything and that politicians would merely make public hollow promises. 

             When asked what kind of development people expect from these leaders, many considerations such as developing metro lines and drawing comparisons with Delhi and other metropolitan cities were mentioned. Parks could be developed. Road and sewage system improvements, among other things. Will the roads of Nagasandra see these improvements, or will it just be another tenure and set of politicians duping the populace...

               One significant issue that I witnessed as a reporter was that the residents in the area had thoughts to share but were unwilling to talk on camera. Another question emerges here: "Is this the kind of political environment that we call healthy?" We determine the fate of these leaders, and the irony is that we are scared of them. 

        Another key issue that should be mentioned here is the expansion of private institutions such as Christ University and multinational stores such as IKEA, both of which can improve the local economy.

Will the leaders keep their pledges, or will they simply play the blame game and do little to help the potentially rising economy? 

Only time shall tell! 

 here is a glimpse of our ground reporting :-

here is a podcast for the viewers to listen to 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ibo8saBb--Nk-pwWdNHpS1AkCLI3fzB2/view?usp=share_link

Thank you!!