The number of wards in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) may have nearly doubled, going up to 198 from the 100 in the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP).
But unlike in earlier civic polls when anti-social elements used to contest in hordes, the number of candidates with criminal taint has gone down considerably this time. Most rowdies’ ambitions to turn to politics have been thwarted because of their home turfs being reserved under various categories.
Leading the pack of candidates with criminal antecedents is Diwan Ali, who is charged in 20-odd criminal cases. Ali is a JD(S) candidate from Banashankari which has a sizeable Muslim population.“Ali is sure to win with support from people of his community,” observed a police officer.
Deputy commissioner of police (south division) TG Krishna Bhat said that Ali faced several murder and attempt to murder cases. “But he has not been convicted in any of them. This ensures that his nomination will remain untouched,” the officer said.
However, the police is confident that Ali is sure to be convicted at least in the passport case where he had obtained the document after furnishing a false address.
Another prominent alleged anti-social element in the BBMP poll fray is in Old Bagalur Layout in KG Halli area. Marimuthu, nicknamed as hooch queen for making a career out of selling illicit liquor in the area, is the JD(S) candidate here. Marimuthu was elected last time to the then BMP.
In neighbouring Bharatinagar, an alleged rowdy-sheeter, Shakeel Ahmed, is contesting on a Congress ticket. Ahmed is wanted in several cases and the local police had considered him as one of the “active” rowdies in the area.
Some rowdy-sheeters have managed to beat the reservation problem by fielding their wives. Balakrishna, an alleged rowdy-sheeter in Subramanyapura and KS Layout police stations, has fielded his wife, Suguna, from Jaraganahalli ward. Manjula, wife of Nagaraj, another alleged rowdy-sheeter in Subramanyapura police station, is in the race from Vasanthapura ward.
Prominent among the rowdy-sheeters who lost out to reservation are DJC Chakravarthy alias Chakkre and V Nagaraj alias Bomb Naga, who have been unable to contest from their home turf of Okalipuram ward as it has been reserved for women.
Police commissioner Shankar M Bidari has ordered that all candidates against whom warrants and summons were pending should be arrested and produced before the court.
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