BENGALURU: Congress lost Chickpet assembly constituency represented by RV Devraj to Uday B Garudachar of BJP. Devraj was able to secure 49,378 votes as against Uday B Garudachar who bagged 57,312. The total margin is 7,934 votes. The BJP rebel candidate Dr Sagar, who was contested from JD(S), has secured only 6,286 votes.
Chickpet with six wards -- Sudhamanagar, Dharmarayaswamy temple, Sunkenahalli, Vishweshwarapuram, Siddapura and Hombegowda Nagar -- is densely populated constituency in the heart of the city. Once defeated by Dr Hemachandra Sagar of BJP in 2008 elections, R V Devraj, 60 yrs, won against businessman Uday B Garudachar of BJP by 13,059 votes in 2013 elections. In 2008 assembly elections, Dr Hemachandra Sagar of BJP won by 7,281 votes with security total 40,252 votes against 32,971 votes secured by R V Devraj of Congress party.
Devraj didn’t do anything to find out solution to the age-old problems like poor infrastructure, encroachment of footpath, improper sanitation, traffic, congestion, etc., in the constituency wherein the traders are contributing lot to the state’s exchequer in the form of tax.
Even Uday Garudachar did nothing. But anti-incumbency as well as the public speech made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at National College Ground influenced voters to support BJP, says trade activist Sajjan Raj Mehta. SDPI candidate Mujahid Pasha also snatched away the possible votes of Congress. He secured total 11,700 votes which is more than the votes secured by JD(S) candidate Dr D Hemachandra Sagar.