Bommanahalli voter guide: Candidates and constituency info

Find out how Bommanahalli Assembly Constituency in the south of the city is faring and about the major issues in this constituency.

Find out how Bommanahalli Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA M Satish Reddy (BJP) and other candidates, including Umapathy Srinivas Gowda (INC) and Sitharamu (AAP).

About the constituency

Bommanahalli Constituency comes under Bengaluru Urban district and Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency and is spread across 32.36 sq. km.

The constituency is quite densely populated. It has a mix of developed and developing areas with a large number of high-rise apartment complexes and commercial hotspots.

There are multinational software companies, educational institutes, garment factories, and small-scale industries. One of the most busy road – Hosur Road has excellent bus connectivity, but has no provision for pedestrian safety. The Electronic City flyover prohibits skywalks for pedestrian crossing. Due to its close proximity to Industrial areas of Anekal and Hosur (Tamil Nadu), areas like Mangammanapalya, Singasandra, etc is home to labour working in the industries there.

After the delimitation exercise of 2022, the number of BBMP wards has increased to 14 from 8. The new wards are 229-Ibluru, 230-Agara, 231- Mangammanapalya, 232-HSR-Singasandra, 233-Rupenaagrahara, 234-Hongasandra, 235-Bommanahalli, 236- Devarachikkanahalli, 237-Bilekhalli, 238-Arakere, 239-Hulimavu, 240-Vinayakanagar, 241-Puttenahalli Sarakki Lake and 242-Jaraganahalli.

At HSR Layout, voluntary action is strong and it has helped to solve some issues speedily, such as waste segregation and reduction of plastic. Swacha Kalika Kendra has been at the forefront for pushing forward composting and use of recyclables at a community level.

Saahas in JP Nagar is a fine example of NGOs taking a lead in recycling, especially of e-wastes. Agara, Iblur and Somasundarapalya, Madiwala and Sarakki lakes are finally revived after many years of neglect. Citizen groups like the National award winning Puttenahalli Lake Trust has been involved with the lake, despite the government refusing to sign MOUs.

At a glance

Constituency NameBommanahalli Constituency
Constituency No175
Constituency Area (in sq.km)32.36
Number of voters (January 2023)4,32,752
Male voters2,32,487
Female voters2,00,194
Other voters71

Data for all 28 constituencies can be found here. Corresponding source: ceo.karnataka.gov.in

Key issues in the constituency

The main problems in the region include traffic congestion and pedestrian safety, encroachment of rajakaluves or storm water drains. Due to heavy rains in 2017 and even as recently as 2022, lakes were overflowing and homes were flooded.

Whilst Swacha Kalika Kendra is a model for state, the rest of constituency struggles with garbage issues, specially with black and yellow spots. The reopening of Karnataka State Composting Corporation (KCDC) is a cause of major frustration, as the smell emanating from the plant continues to be a major source of discontent for people living within the two to three kms radius of the plant.

Key parameters – How does this constituency fare? 

*Based on their performance in each sector, constituencies are divided into three groups. High=top nine constituencies; Medium = mid nine constituencies; Low = bottom nine constituencies. A ‘High’ rating does not necessarily mean the constituency is doing well; it only means that the constituency is among the top nine constituencies for that parameter.

Schooling

Metrics / CountRating*
26 Govt schoolsLow

Bommanahalli is among the bottom nine constituencies in terms of government schools. Currently, there is one school for 1.25 sq km, placing it among the lowest nine constituencies. Lower number of government schools suggests that there are not enough schools to cater to the constituency and students will have to travel far to access schools.

Mobility

Metrics / CountRating*
1 Metro station
86 Bus stopsLow
16 bus trips per 100 residents dailyMedium

Transportation on Outer Ring Road and Hosur Road: Two major roads which run through the constituency is well connected to public transport like buses. The Yellow line and Blue line of Namma Metro are expected to become operational by the end of the year. Pink line will connect Hulimavu ward and is expected to be operational by March 2025. The public transport connectivity in the inner areas however, is very bad making it low-tier among the top nine.

Citizen engagement

Metrics / CountRating*
Voter turnout
2013: 54.09
2018: 46.01
Low
14 wards held 127 ward committee meetings in two yearsLow
16 meetings per wardLow

Voter turnout in the constituency declined by 8% from 2013 to 2018. The 14 wards in Bommanahalli had a total of 127 ward committee meetings, making this constituency among the low-tier ones on civic engagement.

Health 

We have not rated public health infrastructure as the data available was inadequate, and the data is simply presented as is.

Metrics / CountRating*
4 Namma clinics
6 Urban PHCs
42 Anganwadis
0 BBMP hospitals (general and maternity)

Please note that the number of PHCs or Namma Clinics within a constituency is not sufficient to draw conclusions about the state of healthcare. We also need data on the availability of staff and their capacity, medicines, equipment, diagnostic facilities. Quality is also determined by the distribution and access of these facilities within the area, the efforts in preventive/promotive healthcare and community participation, in addition to the process challenges, for e.g., insistence of Aadhar or Thayi cards.

Click here for the details on how all constituencies fare and their source(s)

Constituency map

Bommanahalli Constituency map

Citizen demands

Maintenance of roads and footpaths and especially pedestrian safety is a major issue. Residents of the constituency would like to see safety of pedestrians and clear, walkable footpaths as a top priority as this encourages people to leave their vehicles behind and choose to walk. Residents also demand better public transport in the interior parts of the constituency and a dedicated cycling lane.

Floods, rain and sewage water backflow into apartments and homes was the second major issue of concern for residents. Incomplete SWDs, slow progress, delays in completion of stormwater drain work, encroachment of SWD path and corruption involved in allocation of contracts for infrastructure projects are some things that citizens want to see addressed soon.

Reopening of KCDC and smell from the plant continues to be a major source of discontent for people living within the two to three kms radius of the plant

Incumbent MLA: M. Satish Reddy (BJP)

Satish Reddy is a three-term MLA from Bommanahalli. His constituency also makes news every time there are heavy showers, inundating the residences with water some times as high as four feet. During one such episode, the MLA got into a verbal altercation with a senior forest official, Deepika Bajpai, and had threatened to slap her, which made headlines.

Reddy has an agricultural background and is known to have real estate dealings. His political innings have seen him hold the position of chairperson of Standing Committee, Bangalore Zilla Panchayat. He has been a member of Committee on Privileges and House Committee Regarding NICE Project

The high school pass leader is known to engage regularly in civic matters as he has some of the more active citizen groups in the city. He has started projects to help garbage segregation as part of his personal initiative, and has been active in getting leaf composting units in parks.

He is the BJP Government’s Chief Whip in the Legislative Assembly.

Work in the term

Inaugurated the High density corridor; Agara Junction to the Central Silk Board.

In the news

  1. MLA Satish Reddy was accused of land grab by film producer Umapathy Srinivas Gowda
  2. He has been instrumental in creating a roadblock to BBMP election by approaching the high court against BBMP’s delimitation exercise, questioning its legality. This has been against his own party’s stance.
  3. His aides were implicated in the Bed blocking scam allegations.
  4. A viral video was circulated where the MLA was seen arguing with BBMP officials at BBMP war room.
  5. Allegations of diverting funds from other projects towards asphalting 300 mts of road in front of his house, which was under construction.
  6. 3 miscreants were arrested for setting his luxury cars on fire

Questions raised in the Assembly

  • On February 13th , 2019, Satish Reddy raised these questions to the Deputy Chief Minister on Metro work:
    • Date on which the metro work will commence on Hosur Road – Bannerghatta Road – Sarjapur Road. The time by when the work will be completed?
    • Since there is heavy traffic congestion due to metro work, the alternative measures taken up to control traffic congestion?
  • On February 2021, Satish Reddy raised these questions to the Chief Minister on Pollution from KCDC plant:
    • Whether it has come to the notice of the Government that severe health issues are caused from stink, mosquitoes and flies to the villagers and school children living around the vicinity due to the KCDC Fertilizer factory, which is situated in the limits of Bommanahalli Assembly constituency.
    • If so, whether the Government would take action to shift the said factory to another place?
  • On September 10 2021, Satish Reddy raised the following questions to the Chief Minister on Road Widening Works
    • The time by when the Bannerghatta Road-Begur Road- Sarjapur Road widening work was started, time limit fixed to complete the work
    • Whether it has come to the notice of the Government that the road works are not being carried out adequately since farmers and owners of the houses are not willing to leave their land under the T.D.R scheme.
    • If so, the steps taken to redress this problem. The reasons for delay caused in granting T.D.R

List of candidates

Incumbent MLA: M Satish Reddy, BJP

  • Education: SSLC
  • Age: 51
  • Profession: Social Worker and Director of M. S, Shelters Private Limited and Partners of M.S, South West Ventures.
  • Online: twitter.com/msrbommanahalli

Wealth declaration 

DetailsHoldings in 2018Holdings in 2023Change in %
Movable AssetsRs 23.85 CrRs 39.36 Cr65% increase
Immovable propertyRs 63.14 CrRs 83.13 Cr31.65% increase
LiabilitiesRs 13 CrRs 47 Cr248% increase
TotalRs 87 CrRs 122.49 Cr40.80% increase

Source: https://affidavit.eci.gov.in/

Candidate: Umapathy Srinivas Gowda, INC

Umapathy Srinivas Gowda is a Sandalwood movie producer. He has produced movies such as Madhagaja, Roberrt and Ondalla Eradalla.

  • Education: B.Com
  • Online: Twitter/umapathysgowda
  • Profession: Movie producer
  • Net worth: Rs 74.22 Cr
  • Political Experience: NA

Candidate: Sitharamu, AAP

  • Education: Masters in Management Studies
  • Online: Twitter/SitaramSG
  • Profession: Social worker
  • Net worth: 21.76 crore
  • Political Experience: In 2018, he contested from Basavangudi on an AAP ticket

Full list of candidates  

https://affidavit.eci.gov.in/

Past elections results

2018CandidateSexPartyAgeVote Share (%)
1Sathish Reddy MMBJP4557.22%
2Sushma RajagopalaFINC4833.09%
3T R PrasadMJDS494.8%
4NOTA1.27%

[With inputs from Rajesh Agraval (BAF JP Nagar Cluster), Kamesh Rastogi (BAF HSR Cluster), K C Ramakrishnan (BAF JP Nagar Cluster), Raji Khandige (BAF Bannerghatta Cluster), Madhusudhan (BAF HSR Cluster), and Lalithamba BV (BAF HSR Cluster)]

Also read:

Comments:

  1. Manjunatha K says:

    Thank you for this article. It was useful to get a list of the main candidates, their background information. The voting split last time was also helpful to get an idea of the leanings of the electorate.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Aarey colony has not been taken seriously by any government: Incumbent MP Gajanan Kirtikar

Gajanan Kirtikar, who joined hands with Eknath Shinde, says that SRA schemes should be allowed for Aarey residents to save the forest.

As India gets ready to vote to decide who will represent them in Parliament, Citizen Matters is speaking to elected Parliamentary representatives from Mumbai. We will ask them about the work they have done for the city, policies they have supported and why Mumbaikars should cast votes in their favour (or of their political parties). As part of this series, we spoke to Gajanan Kirtikar, who represented Mumbai North West for the past two terms. He is an active Parliamentarian who was one of top 10 MPs who asked the maximum number of questions during their tenure, according to a report…

Similar Story

Lok Sabha 2024: Know your MP — Gajanan Kirtikar, Mumbai North West

After long innings in politics, Gajanan Kirtikar faces the challenge of his son staying with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena in 2024 elections.

Name: Gajanan Kirtikar  Constituency: Mumbai North West Gajanan Kirtikar, 80 is an old hand in Maharashtra politics and has risen up the ranks of his party. He has always been with the Shiv Sena, having been part of the core team of Bal Thackeray, subsequently working under Uddhav Thackeray. He chose to move to the Shiv Sena faction led by present chief minister Eknath Shinde.  He served as a legislator for four terms between 1990 to 2009 and then entered the Parliament for two terms from 2014. He also served as the minister of state for home and tourism and…