Crorepati netas, but even basic facilities elude K R Puram area

BENGALURU: If KR Puram is famous for IT firms and for the fact that it is one of the highest tax-paying constituencies, it is also infamous for making headlines during monsoons for inundated homes, people getting electrocuted, and poor maintenance of stormwater drains. Though the constituency has candidates that are into real estate and have assets worth crores, it still grapples for basic amenities like uninterrupted electricity and drinking water.

Unauthorised colonies are rampant in KR Puram as there is a huge migrant population owing to the boom of real estate projects. As these are water guzzlers, they put a huge strain on groundwater resources.

While the constituency generates huge revenue, criminal activities have also increased of late. While Byrathi Basavaraj’s closeness to the CM and his nearly unlimited resources in terms of money and party supporters may see him being elected for the second consecutive term, one cannot rule out BJP former MLA NS Nandiesha Reddy who has been an MLA in 2008 once. He is also a realtor and has equal following in the constituency. 

KR Puram has nine wards -- Horamavu, Ramamurthy Nagar, Vijnanapura, KR Puram, Basavanpura, Deavasandra, A Narayanapura, Vignana Nagar and HAL Airport. It comes under Bangalore North (Lok Sabha constituency) led by MP DV Sadananda Gowda who was also the former chief minister of  Karnataka. MLA Basavaraj defeated Nandiesha Reddy in 2013 by a margin of 24,001 votes.