Former mayor sweats it out

Former mayor sweats it out
Satish Shile Bangalore, Mar 21, DHNS

Once a politician enjoys the privileges which a political position brings, it is hard for him/her to live without power. Former MLA and former mayor K Chandrashekhar is no different as a politician.

Chandrashekar (52) had represented Basavangudi assembly constituency once in the Legislative Assembly. He is the only former MLA in the city contesting for the BBMP polls on a Congress ticket from Hanumanthanagar ward (155), from where he won in the last BMP elections. Hanumanthanagar is one of the prominent wards in the city.

He won three times from this ward in the past. In 2001 he won with 93 per cent of the total votes.

As in 2001, this time too he is facing the BJP candidate H P Jagadish (57 years). While Chandrashekhar expects a rebirth in politics with this contest, Jagadish is making all efforts to defeat the veteran.

Chandrashekhar is banking on development works that he executed as corporator, mayor and MLA in the contest. The Congress hopes that sympathy for his defeat in the previous election may turn into votes. However, Jagadish has been appealing to the public to vote the BJP, the party in power in the state, to enable the ward to get more funds for development works.

Basavangudi MLA Ravi Subramanya (BJP) has also taken the battle in the ward seriously because the result reflects his stature in the constituency. A section of the BJP camp in the ward is unhappy with the nomination of Jagadish, who was defeated with a huge margin in the last elections. It wanted a local party worker Eshwar who had contested against Chandrashekhar twice in the past.

There are six wards in the Basavangudi Assembly constituency limits. In all the wards, except Srinagar, the fight is between the BJP and the Congress.

In Srinagar the BJP candidate C Mayanna, a close confidant of Ravi Subramanya, is facing tough fight from T Thimme Gowda of the JD(S).

A popular localite and social worker, Sidde Gowda is in the fray as an independent. Including Congress candidate K G Manjunath, all prominent candidates of the ward belong to Vokkaliga community. The performance of the independent candidate impacts the result.

Three-time BJP corporator Satyanarayan is expecting a fourth victory from Basavangudi. In the last two decades he has nurtured the ward and has an edge over other candidates. His nearest rival is a novice, G R Murali of the Congress.

Girinagar is the only ward reserved for women in Basavangudi constituency. Here, former corporator Lalitha Srinivasgowda’s presence in the fray as an independent candidate, has made the fight interesting. Her contest may divide the Congress votes in the ward spoiling the poll prospects of Congress candidate Kokila Murthy. BJP is expecting victory because of the division of the Congress votes.

Two time corporator D Venkateshmurthy is taking on greenhorns of the Congress and the JD(S) in Katriguppe tom-tomming his works in Srinivasanagar ward, which he represented twice.

M Venkatesh, who contested as an independent from Srinivasanagar and lost with a margin of 800 votes, in 2001 is contesting from Vidyapeeta ward on a BJP ticket. He is facing tough fight from G Nagaraj of the Congress.