Bengaluru, 19 April 

Bengaluru Rural constituency is witnessing one of the fiercest contests in Lok Sabha elections in the State this year. To trounce the sitting Congress MP, DK Suresh, BJP has fielded Dr CN Manjunath who retired as head of government-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research here.  

The Bengaluru Rural seat comprises agrarian zones in Kunigal, Channapatna, Ramanagara, Magadi and Kanakapura taluks as well as IT corridor of Electronics City in Bengaluru. The rural belts in the constituency have limited healthcare and education facilities. BJP’s ploy to deploy a popular doctor as a candidate is aimed at shoring up health infrastructure in the region. The brother of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said Centre is responsible for the plight of the constituency. Suresh said they have proposed a line of projects including hospitals in each industrial zone, a medical college in Kanakapura and new schools. The BJP-led Centre is not clearing the projects and they are diverting the investors on education to healthcare to north India, Suresh said in an interview with Salar News.

Is this election your toughest because of BJP-JD(S) combine candidate contesting against you?

Not really. I started my campaign a month before and while interacting with the villagers who have benefitted from Congress guarantees, they told me that they would continue to trust us.

I am reaching out to the voters based on my performance and the five guarantee schemes of our government. I have vowed to complete the current and planned irrigation projects to ensure there is a drinking water supply to all. 

Dr Manjunath is known for his commendable service in medical field. How do you plan to address healthcare concerns during your campaign, considering the potential inclination of villagers towards your opponent on such matters?

The limited healthcare infrastructure in my constituency doesn't imply that our voters will automatically turn to BJP for healthcare provisions. Congress government has lined up a host of projects. Using corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, we aim to establish 200-bed hospitals in each industrial zone, and the 20-odd medical colleges in the City will be linked to Community Health Centres and Primary Health Centres to enhance healthcare accessibility. However, the State is awaiting approval from the Centre as they don’t care about Bengaluru's development.

Rajarajeshwarinagar and Bengaluru South are strongholds of BJP and Ramanagara and Channapatna are JD(S). How are you planning to retain the seat

The voters have seen 10 years of Modi government and the attention our state received from Centre. When Rajarajeshwarinagar was suffering from water problems, it was not the NDA alliance that came forward to help, it was our government that ensured the supply of water. JD(S) has lost the trust of voters after they joined BJP. 

Given the water crisis in Bengaluru Rural, how do you propose to address this pressing issue, especially considering reports of farmers having to travel long distances for water?

By 13 August, Anekal, Kunigal and other Assembly segments, which suffered from the water crisis, will get Cauvery water and they don’t have to worry about the insufficient water. —Salar News