Anti-incumbency heat on Somasekhar in Yesvantpur

With complaints that basic facilities are absent in the constituency, the incumbent minister is facing a strong opposition wave

Umar Sharieef | NT

Bengaluru: Incumbent Yesvantpur lawmaker, Minister for Co-Operation ST Somasekhar, who is in the fray for the upcoming Assembly election, has earned the wrath of the people of his constituency.

That he is facing a strong anti-incumbency upsurge is palpable in this election. Residents of the constituency complain about the inability of the MLA to find a solution to the absence of basic needs in the last five years after he jumped ship from the Congress to BJP in 2018 along with 17 MLAs on his side, which caused the fall of Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state.

There are 5.5 lakh voters in the constituency, the second largest in the northwestern part of the city. It is one of the most important constituencies of the city. It is well known fact that half of the population of the constituency belong to the Vokkaliga community. Political parties are keen to woo voters from this community.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed a rally in the constituency. With Congress fielding S Balraj Gowda in the election, and given the people’s resentment, it is not going to be a cakewalk for Somasekhar. The incumbent MLA was a former Congress party member who contested first in 2008 and lost against the BJP’s Shoba Karandlaje by a margin of 1,080 votes. Since then he has won all the elections he contested from here.

“The road near Yesvantpur flyover, during the night hours, has become home to heavy vehicles. Drivers continue to park their vehicles haphazardly, causing huge traffic congestion and disturbances to the public. It is happening after repeated complaints and our MLA is not approachable to hear our woes,” Santosh, 44, a local told News Trail. Most of Bengaluru is reeling under the absence of basic needs including the supply of Cauvery water, with Yesvantpur being no exception.

“We have not been getting Cauvery water for many years and we are unaware of what the MLA of this constituency has been doing all these years. They are the ruling government even in the centre, so what stops the MLA, who is also a minister from providing us basic needs?” Ambika, 34, said.

The constituency is a mixture of urban and rural areas, with as many as 110 villages being a part of it. Residents of most of the wards complain about water logging on the roads when it rains, besides the poor quality of roads with potholes and pits, especially on the YesvantpurMagadi road.

Civic activists, on the other hand, allege that the Doddabidrakallu Lake is polluted and on the verge of losing its life. Besides, the residents also demand the permanent closure of waste plants in the constituency. However, sources from the BJP refuted the claims asserting that he would retain his seat.