Shivajinagar: Rizwan confident of winning based on successful work

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: Shivajinagar is one of the oldest areas and a major commercial hub in the city. After the boundaries of this constituency were redrawn in 2008 delimitation exercise, it became a stronghold of R Roshan Baig, who left Congress party in 2019. Since 2008 the constituency has seen four elections which the Congress won consecutively.

Since 1967, the party has won seven times in Shivajinagar out of 13 elections. Several candidates from parties including Janata Parivar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also won a few times here. Shivajinagar has people belonging to different classes, communities and languages residing here.

Despite the constituency having a number of unique features and popular MLAs holding the seat of power in the past, Shivaji Nagar’s problems remain as old as Bengaluru. While the constituency houses the comparatively cleaner upmarket residential areas in Jayamahal and Vasanth Nagar, Russell Market and the area surrounding it resembles a civic disaster.

Following the 2019 bypolls, Rizwan Arshad, who started as a Vice President of Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (KPYCC) in 2004, was elected the MLA of Shivajinagar after the disqualification of Roshan Baig. News Trail spoke to several people in the constituency who said that the MLA has restored their hopes of development. Haider Pasha, who runs a food joint on Chowk, said, "We have learnt lessons in the past. We have no other option for support here. Rizwan has at least delivered something and listens to our woes," he said.

"There were times when the Dalits here were not allowed to enter the temples and fill water from public water taps. Congress is the only party which has supported the marginalised communities here," said Sankarayya, a 72 year-old resident here. Some of the problems faced by the residents here are bad roads which keep flooding during the rain and absence or encroached footpaths among others. However since a few months, footpaths have been laid on various roads and whitetopping is also being done.

Speaking to News Trail, MLA of the constituency Rizwan Arshad said that the area has seen many improvements in the last three years. "There have been significant improvements in roads, pavements, water and sanitation, health care, garbage disposal and other infrastructure. Luckily, people supported me and together we have done some good work here," said Rizwan.

Rizwan Arshad had recently attempted to block the Election Commission of India (ECI) in taking up further revision of voters’ list of the constituency even after publication of the ‘final’ list. For that, he had approached the High Court. However, the division bench of the HC dismissed his application. The BJP has fielded former Congress corporator N Chandra of Ramaswamy Palya. The saffron party is claiming that they will break through the Congress fortress