BENGALURU: For those who thought that Bengaluru was all about IT companies and techies, Dasarahalli in the north of the city, home to Peenya Industrial Area, one of the largest industrial clusters in Asia, is a stark reminder that it is not. As elections near, Peenya which has over 6,000 industries and a workforce of around 15 lakh, employed in units manufacturing engineering and electrical goods, is teeming with activity with all the three political parties keen on capturing this prestigious industrial hub.
What could make or break their fortunes is the huge floating population in Dasarahalli, a relatively new constituency. Formed during the 2007 delimitation exercise, it went to polls for the first time only about a decade ago in 2008.
Comprising of eight wards and around ten villages, Dasarahalli has received its share of attention due to its proximity to Kempegowda International Airport, the Yeshwanth pur railway station, and the recently developed metro stations. It is located on the National Highway (NH-4) which connects to Pune, with many educational institutions and garment industries situated on the highway route.
A BJP stronghold since its formation. Dasarahalli has been sending S Muniraju of the party to the Assembly since 2008. His winning margin was huge- 22,155- in 2008 but it fell by almost half to 10,838 in the 2013 elections when Congress senior leader B.L. Shankar was his rival. Of the eight BBMP wards in the constituency, the BJP had won five, the Congress two and the JD(S), one.
Vokkaligas and SC/STs form the bulk of voters in Dasarahalli though there are a large number of migrants too, employed in large and medium scale industries like Shahi Exports and those of the Jindal group. Many of these migrant employees, hailing from different states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, who run into thousands, will be casting their votes for the first time.
Muniraju is the frontrunner no doubt after winning here twice but anti-incumbency could be a major hurdle for him. Though his votes decreased in 2013, the KJP merger with the BJP has made him confident of a hat-trick win.
But victory depends on the people and they have been facing a multitude of problems here like elsewhere in the city- water scarcity, lack of footpaths, bad roads and badly maintained lakes. Pushpa, a resident of Sonnappa Layout said, “The road from Kereguddahalli to Chikkabanavara is a nightmare for any citizen who has a backache like me. The road is full of potholes for the past two years and no agency is willing to asphalt it.”
Burning of garbage and dumping trash on the street is another major issue which has added to air pollution levels. Shiva Prasad, a resident of Abbigere said, “There is no proper collection of garbage and so people burn it adding to air pollution. We are left choking either because of the stench of left over garbage or burnt garbage.”
In the Peenya Industrial area which should have been a model for industrial areas elsewhere, there has been no significant improvement in infrastructure over the decades. Malyadi Reddy, president of the Peenya Industries Association said, “We continue to face issues like untreated sewage, poor garbage collection and lack of streetlights.”
However, not everyone is blaming Muniraju, there are some who appreciate the work carried out by him over the last 10 years in the constituency. Nagaraj, a resident of Chikkabanavara said, “Several single lane roads were converted into two-lane roads helping to ease the traffic flow, several parks were developed in the constituency, we now have a good sewage system unlike before.”
Both the BJP and JD(S) have already announced their candidates and if the Congress fields an equally strong leader, a tough fight is on the cards. Winning Dasarahalli, its heterogeneous population and getting industry with their burgeoning demands on one’s side is no easy task-something Muniraju and his poll rivals know better than anyone else.
