Sandwiched between two arterial roads — Magadi Chord Road and Vijayanagar Chord Road — the Govindarajnagar Assembly Constituency is a mixed bag of voters.
The constituency comprises voters from different classes — industrial workers to white collar professionals. The complexion of the constituency in terms of growth also presents a paradox with large sections of underdeveloped localities craving for better facilities amid several well-developed areas.
Dasarahalli, Kamakshipalya Industrial Estate, Cauverynagar, Kalyan Nagar, Gangondanahalli and Nayandahalli lack basic amenities in the form of drainages, pavements, and vehicle parking facilities, while Syndicate Bank Colony, Sampige Layout, Rajajinagar Industrial Town, M.C. Layout, Rajajinagar 6th Block, Saraswathinagar, Canara Bank Colony, Nagarbhavi 4th Stage and Chandra Layout are almost developed.
Completion of two major infrastructure projects — grade separator at Chord Road-Magadi Road Junction and connectivity to Outer Ring Road from Malagala Junction on Magadi Road to Nayandahalli via Nagarabhavi, has eased the traffic congestion. A whirlwind tour of the constituency should suffice to understand the grievances of the people. In some localities of Kamakshipalya, Cauverynagar, Dasarahalli, Gangondanahalli and Nayandahalli, residents complain about irregular water supply, dumping of garbage on the roadside, narrow roads, badly maintained footpaths and stray dog menace.
Ashwin N, entrepreneur, still remembers the days when ferocious stray dogs mauled children in Chandra Layout. “This problem still persists, though there have been no recent attacks,” he said.
Prasanna Kumar, resident of Sampige Layout, blames authorities for absence of humps on Pattegarapalya main road.
Looking back, Vasanthi Naik, homemaker, does not find much improvement in the constituency. “The weaker sections have been ignored. Their condition still remains the same. Dumping of garbage and haphazard parking of vehicles on the roadside, badly maintained footpaths and many such problems that we have to live with.”
The constituency has nine BBMP wards. While BJP councillors are representing eight wards, one ward is represented by JD (S).
Though there are 10 candidates, there seems to be a direct contest between sitting MLA Priya Krishna of the Congress and BJP’s H. Ravindra.
