Land woes give bitter twist to anti-incumbency in realty hub

Yelahanka, considered a relatively safe seat for BJP in the northernmost part of Bengaluru, is witnessing a fierce contest with both JD(S) and Congress making determined efforts to wrest it from the saffron party.
The two opposition parties are bolstered by the rising anti-incumbency against three-time MLA SR Vishwanath in a constituency brimming with Vokkaliga p opulation.All three major contenders are Vokkaligas.
Yel ahanka faces a gamut of issues like any other constituency of Bengaluru. But land issues overshadow everything else in a con stituency where there seems to be no stopping the realty boom that started decades back with the coming up of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) nearby.
No wonder, rea l estate is one of the key narratives in the campaigns, with the opposition collectively pouncing on the ruling BJP, accusing the latter of indulging in landgrabbing in the guise of acquisition. “Do you th ink people will sit quietly if somebody lays hands on their properties? But people in Yelahanka are terrified and a few are even vacating the locality and settling elsewhere. We (Congr ess) want to ensure the people of Yelahanka live without fear,” asserts Congress candidate Keshava Rajanna, a dairy farmer native to the locality and son of ex-MLA Rajanna.
Similarl y, JD(S) candidateM Munegowda, a Sandalwood producer and debutant in the electoral arena, said, “I have travelled all over the constituency and there is a growing discontent among ci tizens. People are aware of the difficulties they are being put through and are firm on defeating BJP this time.”
The discontent is palpable in 17 villages where Bangalore Dev elopment Authority (BDA) has acquired more than 3,500 acres of land for developing Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout. Landowners are up in arms over the irrational compensation since 2013, and the opposition is cashing in on citizens’ resentment.
An unperturbed Vishwanath said: “I have been with the people of Yelahanka for 45 years and have been in politics since 1995. Let them talk about development and not about accusations. Even I have records and evidence against their fraud. But that is not the issue here . There are several enforcement agencies and judicial bodies to probe that. Previously also they had hurled such accusations against me, and I have come clean. ”The MLA is dismissive of the challengers, saying none of them is capable of winning even a panchayat poll in the region and yet dares to talk about him who has “won thrice and was appointed BDA chairperson with a cabinet minister’s rank”. “Wait till May 13 when I win with a margin of 1 lakh votes,” he added.
The constituency also suffers from crumbling civic infrastructure with semi-rural areas lacking motorable roads and drains that result in flooding. However, drain encroachments are being cleared and work on three flyovers has gained mo mentum in the last few months. Work on supplying potable water to all wards and panchayats is also under implementation.
“The region has seen several developmental works in 15 years. Be it parks, rejuvenation of lakes, installation of new transmission lines/substations and basic amenities, Vishwanath has delivered on the pro mises. He has been working closely with RWAs. However, a few issues remain — work on the flyovers and eliminating the bottleneck at the junction of Airport road and Yelahanka New Tow n,” explained Ravi Kumar, a resident of Yelahanka New Town.
The constituency with about four lakh voters has several communities with various sub-sects of Vokkaligas forming the maj or chunk of the electorate. Opposition parties’ experimentation with the caste-wise combination of candidates during past polls has only worked in favour of Vishwanath.