Shantinagar: Haris eyes fourth term amid mixed reactions

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Voters of Shantinagar appear to be split in their decision as far as the May 10 Assembly elections are concerned as Congress' NA Haris looks to win his fourth term in a seat he has held since 2018. It is a constituency that consists of Tamil and Andhra Pradesh-origin migrants and is a part of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha Constituency.

The seat is the home to one of the main bus stands in the city from where hundreds of buses ply to the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. There are 2,18,510 eligible voters in the constituency, of which the male voters constitute 1,11,756 besides 1,06,664 women electors.

Voters’ reaction over the performances of the incumbent MLA and on the upcoming assembly election is however mixed with some preferring continuity while others call for change. In 2018, the people of this constituency elected NA Haris with 60,009 votes over BJP’s K Vasudevamurthy, making it a deficit of 18,205.

This time, the BJP has fielded Shiva Kumar while the AAP has given the ticket to former KAS officer K Mathai. While the middle-class people of the constituency complained about the poor management of traffic congestions close to the educational institutions, most of the residents feel there have been no major issues in the segment.

“There is nothing much to complain about the constituency as most of the wards here have already got newly tarred roads while the work to finish it on the needed places is underway”, Narasimhan, a local said. There is a substantial presence of Muslim votes in the constituency. A few said they are expecting a change while the rest denied there was anti-incumbency and asserted Haris would win again.

“We have not been getting Cauvery water for the last 15 years and there were no proper roads. Only now the area is getting a new look with new roads. Most of the poor people are dependent on Cauvery water,” Ahmed Ali said. However, a few residents have also said the area is now free from waterlogging.

“Water logging was one of the major issues during rainy days but the MLA has remedied that", Shanti told News Trail. Voters also claimed the MLA sprung into action only during the election time. With the voter turnout at 53.72 per cent in 2018, the BJP is now eyeing to put up a close fight by giving a ticket to Shiva Kumar denying party man K Vasudevamurthy a chance.