Bengaluru: As Congress takes the dominant lead in trends in the Karnataka Assembly election, one of the rare silver linings for the rival BJP has been the Bangalore South constituency from where the saffron party candidate M Krishnappa has won the fourth time as he secured 149195 votes, over 50,000 more than Congress' RK Ramesh.
Ramesh managed to secure 98510 votes after the 21st round of counting. Back in 2018, Krishnappa defeated Ramesh by a margin of over 30,000 votes. He has been the MLA from Bangalore South since 2008. Bangalore South is the largest constituency in Karnataka. It has a total of 581,422 voters including 311,427 male voters and 269, 878 female voters. The number is three-and-a-half times more than Sringeri, the smallest constituency in Karnataka.
According to Election Commission of India data, the estimated voter turnout in this seat was 51.6 per cent (around 3 lakh votes polled) in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. In 2018 this seat registered a turnout of 52.86 per cent, in 2013 - 56.03 per cent and in 2008 - 43.99 per cent.
Krishnappa began his political career in 1983 helping with his brother's campaign and was first elected in the 2005 Zilla Panchayat elections for a tenure of one year from Uttarahalli, which was still not part of the Greater Bengaluru. During this tenure, he became a Counselling Member for the Uttarahalli government school betterment committee.
In 2011 he became the Deputy Chairman of BMTC and was still in the post till 2013. The PUC pass MLA states his occupation as an entrepreneur in cottage industries. In 2008, he was elected as a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for the first time from Bangalore South Constituency.
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