Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 6: A delegation of BJP and JD(S) legislators met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his office in Vidhana Soudha on Thursday, urging him to allocate Rs 150 crore annually for the constituencies represented by opposition MLAs in the state budget for 2025-26.

With Siddaramaiah set to present the budget on March 7, the legislators submitted a memorandum requesting him to use his discretionary powers to sanction the funds. The delegation comprised leader of the opposition R Ashoka, state BJP president B Y Vijayendra, senior MLA Arvind Bellad, JD(S) floor leader C B Suresh Babu, and others.

In their appeal, they also sought an additional Rs 5 crore per constituency for development activities and requested an allocation of Rs 50 crore towards infrastructure, roads, and other essential projects. The memorandum emphasized that the lack of funds over the past two years had hindered development in opposition-represented constituencies, affecting roads, drainage systems, schools, colleges, and hospitals. It also pointed out that the absence of financial support had created disparities in government welfare programs such as Gangakalyan, land ownership schemes, and fisheries initiatives.

The delegation stressed that these constituencies should not be neglected and urged Siddaramaiah to ensure equitable development across Karnataka.

Earlier, a BJP delegation led by Ashoka and Vijayendra had separately submitted a memorandum demanding a special grant of Rs 15,000 crore for Bengaluru. They argued that the funds were necessary to accelerate ongoing projects and launch new initiatives in the city. The party also called for an allocation of Rs 150 crore per Assembly constituency and proposed the construction of at least 100 multi-level vehicle parking complexes to ease Bengaluru’s persistent parking issues.