Syed Mohid Altaf, JD(S) candidate for Hebbal.
Suresh B.S., Congress candidate for Hebbal
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, former Union Minister Veerappa Moily and many other high-profile politicians are the residents of the Hebbal Assembly constituency.
The constituency, which is located on either side of Ballari Road, has many old residential layouts developed by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). Traffic congestion on the roads connecting Ballari Road and Outer Ring Road (ORR) has remained a concern for years for the residents.
Traffic issue
In the past, the State governments, cutting across party lines, proposed many projects to ease the traffic on Ballari Road that connects Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) but failed to implement them same. It has been years, but there is no sign of the completing rebuilding of Jayamahal Road that links Ballari Road.
Hebbal is a constituency in the city which does not have metro connectivity, and residents are relying on city buses operated by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
In 2008, Katta Subramanya Naidu from BJP was elected from the constituency and in 2013, the BJP fielded R. Jagadeesh Kumar, and he too was elected. However, the untimely death of Jagadeesh Kumar in 2015 resulted in the constituency going for by-polls.
The BJP fielded Y.A. Narayanaswamy, and he won the by-polls conducted in 2016. However, in the 2018 elections, Mr. Narayanswamy was defeated by Congress candidate Suresh B.S., a close aide of Congress leader Siddaramaiah.
This time, the party has again fielded Mr. Suresh. The BJP has given tickets to Jagadeesh Katta K.S., son of former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu. The JD(S), which has a history of changing candidates in the past three elections, has fielded Syed Mohid Altaf. Manjunatha Naidu is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate.
Incumbent MLA Mr. Suresh is confident of winning elections. “Many infrastructure projects were implemented during my tenure as an MLA. In addition to the government funds, I have spent money from my pockets for the welfare of the residents. I am confident of winning the elections this time. The promises made by the Congress manifesto will also be a factor in winning elections this time. The BJP has fielded a candidate who is facing multiple criminal charges and voters are well aware of that.”
Mr. Katta is banking on “works” done by his father during his tenure.
Persistent issues in the constituency
AAP candidate Manjunath Naidu said, “In many areas of the constituency, the drainage system is not working, and poor drinking water supply is an issue. During our interaction with the youth, they expressed concern about not getting good jobs. There are no skill development centres. If I get elected, I will work for the betterment of youth and residents.”
JD(S) candidate Syed Mohid Altaf said, “There is a disparity in developments carried out in the last five years. Areas, where minorities and SC/ST people live have been thoroughly ignored. When it rains, low-lying areas get flooded due to poor drainage work. There is a misappropriation of funds provided for development works. In the absence of government-run education institutions, parents are paying hefty fees to private institutions. People are fed up with both Congress and BJP. I am confident that they will elect me as their MLA.”
A total of 14 candidates are in the fray.
