BENGALURU: After the change in ward reservation for the BBMP elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen to field the wives of ten ex-councillors.
This is for the first time that 50 per cent reservation in the 198 wards has been given to women.
Besides, reservation of many wards has changed to women, based on the rotation system, making some former councillors from the previous term ineligible for the polls.
In some of the wards, where the reservation was changed, some former councillors are now making their wives contest in a bid to keep their hold on the wards.
Komala M Ganesh (Chamarajpet), Leela Shivakumar (Chikpet), Umavathy Padmaraj (Basaveshwaranagar), Madhukumari Vageesh (Marenahalli), Prathiba Dhanraj (Dharmarayaswamy temple), Nagarathna Ramamurthy (Pattabhiramanagar), Malathi Somashekar (Shakambarinagar), Poornima Ramesh (Yediyur) and Prabhavathy Ramesh (Puttenahalli) are the candidates whose husbands were councillors in the previous term.
Lakshmi Nataraj, wife of S K Nataraj, a senior BJP member who was the mayor in 2010, is contesting the elections from Sarakki ward.
Vageesh, who was a member of the Maruthi Mandir ward, is fielding his wife Madhukumari from the neighbouring ward Marenahalli, while former Mayor Shanthakumari will contest from Maruthi Mandir.
A former councillor, whose wife is contesting, told Express that they have done much development works during the previous term. “We took personal interest and developed roads. Now they (Congress) do not want us to come back and intentionally changed the reservation of winnable candidates. We have many promises which were not implemented. If my wife wins, I can complete the project. Whatever we have dreamt for our wards will be fullfilled. This is not a bad practice.”
Some are lucky to contest from their own wards, including former deputy mayor S Harish (Nagapura), Jayappa Reddy (Hebbal), Gowtham Kumar (Jogupalya), H R Krishnappa (Rajajinagar), A H Basavaraju (Banashankari temple), Nagaraj (Byrasandra), Padmanabha Reddy (Kachakarahalli), Sumithra Vijaykumar (New Thippasandra), Mahesh Babu (Lakkasandra) and Shashirekha Jayaram (Konankunte).
City BJP unit president Subba Narasimha said the wives of the previous councillors were also BJP members. They have worked at various levels. “Moreover, the councillors have done development works in their wards in the previous term. At some places, party workers demand that previous councillor’s wife contest. That is why we have given tickets to them,” he said.