R. Manjunath, JD (S) candidate
G. Dhananjaya, Congress candidate
A majority of the Peenya Industrial Area, touted as one of the largest industrial areas, falls within the limits of the Dasarahalli Assembly constituency. A large number of the voters in the constituency are those who have migrated from rural areas, including northern parts of the State, in search of jobs.
After the formation of the constituency in 2008, BJP’s candidate S. Muniraju was elected from the constituency in 2008 and 2013. In the previous elections (2018), R. Manjunath from JD(S) defeated him with a margin of over 10,000 votes.
Mr. Muniraju says that an “internal deal” between JD(S) and Congress had worked against him in the previous elections. In the forthcoming elections, incumbent MLA Manjunath is again fighting the election as a JD (S) candidate, and the Congress party has fielded G. Dhananjaya. Mr Kirthan Kumar Manjappa is contesting from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Township for industry
Owners of the small-scale industries in Peenya and residents of the constituency say that their woes continue to remain unaddressed.
Manjunath H., president of Peenya Industries Association, said, “We have been demanding a township for the industry along the lines of ELCITA in Electronics City. There are thousands of small-scale industries providing employment to 12 lakh people. Annually, these units pay ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 crore to the governments in taxes. But owners of the industrial units continue to struggle for good roads, electricity and water supply.”
Traffic problems
Ganesh Kumar, a resident of Hegganahalli, said, “Over the years, the traffic congestion has increased in the area. Motorists using Magadi Road, Outer Ring Road and Tumkur Road are facing problems daily. There are no good feeder services to connect to the metro station located on Tumakuru Road. Providing an affordable bus transport system will help lakhs of people working in the area.”
Motorists using Tumakuru Road continue to face traffic snarls as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) continues to prohibit entry of heavy vehicles on the Peenya flyover. Residents of the area are also demanding government-run schools, super-speciality hospitals and development of parks.
Blame game
BJP candidate Muniraju blames the inaction of the incumbent MLA for tardy development work in the constituency.
“Voters of the constituency have realized that the incumbent MLA did not do anything for their welfare. He has been misleading people about the development works. An RTI reply from the State government states that over ₹1,123 crore was allocated for the constituency over the past five years, but we cannot see visible changes in the constituency,” he said, adding that Congress candidate will be his nearest contender this time and not JD(S). He further said after the outbreak of the pandemic, hundreds of voters had left the constituency and settled in their villages.
Congress candidate G. Dhananjaya said, “People of the constituency are fed up with both JD(S) and BJP candidates. They need a fresh face and an educated candidate as their MLA. A majority of voters constitute the working class, and there is a need to improve the public healthcare and education system, which I have promised to do. The Congress has already provided assurance of providing ₹2,000 to women, 200 units of free power, and free bus travel for women and others. These schemes will benefit people in the constituency in a big way.”
When contacted, R. Manjunath dismissed the allegations made by his opponents.
“After I became the MLA, hurdles were put up against executing development works. People know what I have done, and they will respond. Out of the 110 villages that were added to BBMP limits, five are located in the Dasarahalli constituency. I have worked hard to develop these villages. The constituency has seen road infrastructure, development of parks and others during my tenure.” A total of 15 are in the fray, interestingly, there are three more candidates named Manjunath who are fighting elections from the constituency as independents.
