Congress MLA Byrathi Suresh has been distributing LED smart televisions to people in his constituency ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. The legislator represents the Hebbal Assembly constituency in Bengaluru. In a video posted on Suresh’s Facebook account on Sunday, January 29, he can be seen visiting a family, along with his supporters, to supervise installation of a smart TV in a house, after which he posed for a photo along with the family.
“According to my reports, 40,000 TVs have been distributed, worth around Rs 8000 each. They are distributing 5000 TVs in each ward and Hebbal has eight wards. We have taken up the matter with the Election Commission and filed a complaint against Byrathi Suresh,” alleged Aam Aadmi Party member, Manjunath Naidu. Byrathi Suresh is a real estate tycoon who has assets worth Rs 416 crore according to his election affidavit.
However, the MLA has claimed that the TVs are being bought with his money and for helping students in his constituency to attend online classes. He however did not confirm how many TVs are being distributed and the total cost. According to a report by Deccan Chronicle, Byrathi Suresh has said that not everyone will receive a TV. “Applications have been invited from the people of the constituency for issuing the smart TVs. Only the deserving families will get it,” he told Deccan Chronicle. The report also said that the MLA did not reveal the criteria for selection of the beneficiaries and decided to give a TV instead of a tablet or a laptop to the students, as it would be helpful to the entire family.