BENGALURU: Ladulal Pitliya (52), first-time BJP MLA from the Sahara Assembly constituency in Rajasthan, started as a worker at a garment shop in Bengaluru. Hailing from Rajasthan, he came to Bengaluru just after his tenth standard in search of work. Coming a long way since then, he now owns a mega garment business in Bengaluru.
In the Rajasthan Assembly elections, whose results were announced on Sunday, he won by a margin of 62,519 votes against a Congress candidate.
Narrating his journey, Pitliya, who is from a non-political family, said he came to Bengaluru in 1987 looking for a job. For four years, he worked as an assistant at a garment shop. “In 1992, I started a small retail shop in Mahalakshmi Layout and in 1994, moved to Chickpet, where I started a wholesale cloth business,” he said.
Pitiliya has been living in Bengaluru for the last 35 years and has his residence in Rajajinagar. “After I got a hold in my business, I started showing interest in social service and helping the needy. I first started in Bengaluru and expanded it to Rajasthan,” he said.
Under his social service initiatives, he extends help to conduct funerals, arranges fodder for cattle and many more. His initiation into politics was in Bengaluru, but he started a full-fledged political career in Rajasthan. He manages to focus on politics as his son and brother-in-law are now taking care of his business interest in Bengaluru.
Having lived in the city for the last 35 years, he says he has a special love for the tech capital. “I like everything about Bengaluru. It is the most advanced city with technology and infrastructure. I will try to implement these in my constituency in Rajasthan,” he said.
Asked why he did not contest elections from Karnataka or Bengaluru, he said there are seniors here. “Also, I wanted to contest from my hometown and do good for the people,” he added. He had lost the last Assembly elections in Rajasthan in 2018.