BENGALURU, 19, MARCH

Mansoor Ali Khan, a politician, educationist, and community activist, faces a tough challenge in the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat as he seeks to unseat BJP, which has held the constituency since 2009. Khan is the trustee of KK Educational and Charitable Trust, which was founded by his father, K Rahman Khan, former deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha. The trust has made significant contributions to education, including the establishment of Delhi Public School. Khan has played important roles in the Karnataka Congress and, as AICC secretary in-charge of Telangana, led the party to victory in 2023. In an interview with Salar News, Khan shares his thoughts on the upcoming election. 

How does it feel to have finally secured the ticket for Bengaluru Central amidst tough competition

Bengaluru Central is a prestigious constituency and a lot of people would aspire to contest from here. I am thankful to Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar for reposing faith in me to fight from this constituency.

Why has Congress been finding it challenging to win Bengaluru Central seat, while BJP has been dominating it since 2009?

The seat is competitive, so we need to connect with voters. In the 2023 Assembly results, we received more votes than BJP. We're optimistic and believe we can win the seat this time.

Your political opponent, BJP candidate PC Mohan claims Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the factor rather than him to win the seat and describes himself as just a messenger. What would be your USP?

The development of my constituency is my top priority. I believe that 15 years is a long time to bring about significant changes. I think the people can vouch for the lack of development here. One common complaint is that the current MP is not seen.

Improving infrastructure, especially Outer Ring Road-- which is the hub of IT activity, addressing issues such as flooding and the recent water crisis, and ensuring accountability for local leaders are all important to me. Even though the current MP, MLAs, and corporators have held their positions for 15 years, there have been no tangible results, and I want to change that by bringing about the necessary changes and improvements.

What are your priorities for Bengaluru Central, if voted to power??

My priorities are education, healthcare, traffic, and basic civic amenities. I believe these issues need immediate attention. My goal is to transform Bengaluru Central into a model Lok Sabha constituency as it is not only an important part of the City but also the IT hub and pride of India.

You are an educationist, politician and community activist. How do you combine all these into one?

It is important that good people come into politics with a vision. Politics, education and being a community activist are interlinked because all three are related to social service. Finally, all these three combined make the society and the person you are. 

Congress has set a target of winning 20 of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the State. What should the party do to achieve this?

Congress government in Karnataka has started well. We are a pro-people government. You will see the five guarantees are working on the ground. When the guarantees are working and kicking on the ground, people will be able to see how the changes are happening.