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Bengaluru’s Pulakeshinagar Assembly constituency (reserved for Scheduled Castes) is garnering attention as Karnataka gears up for Assembly elections on May 10. In the previous election in 2018, Congress candidate R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy won the Pulakeshinagar seat with a significant margin of 81,626 votes. Pulakeshinagar is a socioeconomically diverse constituency, with voters residing in affluent areas and also some of the poorest slums in Bengaluru. Muslims comprise about 54% of its population. The constituency is spread over seven Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) wards, including Frazer Town and Richards Town.
Srinivas Murthy's political career was marred by controversy in 2020 when his nephew Naveen posted a derogatory comment against Prophet Mohammed on Facebook. In reaction, angry protesters attacked DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations and Srinivas's house. The Bengaluru police registered a case against Naveen over the post, as well as a few members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) over the arson and vandalism.
Pulakeshinagar residents have varied opinions on the different parties and candidates in the fray this time. While some acknowledged Srinivas Murthys's efforts in addressing water-related problems in the area, others criticised his handling of the 2020 riots over his nephew’s post. One resident, Krishna (name changed), was upset that the action taken against the rioters wasn’t more severe. "Srinivas Murthy was our elected representative, and we expected him to do more to control the situation. He had a moral duty to ensure that justice was done, but he failed,” he said.
With Congress refusing to give him a ticket this time, Srinivas Murthy resigned as MLA. He is now contesting the election in Pulakeshinagar on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket.
Imtiaz, who runs a shop in Frazer Town, acknowledged Srinivas Murthy’s efforts in addressing the water scarcity in the area. However, he emphasised that his vote would be influenced by the political party forming the government, and not the local candidates. “Srinivas did a lot of work in the constituency, but what matters more is who will form the government, which is why I’d rather vote for Congress,” he said.
Another Pulakeshinagar resident Ajmal said what the area urgently needs are responsible corporators. According to him, the former corporator of Pulakeshinagar ward was proactive in resolving civic issues. “He would send immediate help when the gutters would fill up during the rainy season, but now we have to wait for hours before BBMP takes action,” he said. BBMP, the fourth-largest municipal corporation in India, has not had an elected council for more than two-and-a-half years. The term of the previous BBMP council ended on September 10, 2020, but due to the delay in conducting elections, the civic agency is currently being managed by government-appointed officials. These officials include an administrator, a commissioner, and ward nodal officers who oversee the functioning of the 198 wards in the city.
This time, the Congress has fielded AC Srinivas in Pulakeshinagar, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded A Murali, the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) has fielded V Anuradha, and the SDPI has fielded BR Bhaskar Prasad. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, had initially announced its participation in the election from the Pulakeshinagar constituency, but later withdrew from the contest.
As the election date approaches, Pulakeshinagar remains a hotly contested seat, with parties jostling to win, and voters eager to make their voices heard.