Please don’t misunderstand the title of the famous movie, Humble Politician Nograj. We are talking about N. Nagaraju, former corporator of Byrasandra Ward 169, Jayanagar, a true humble politician. Mr. Nagaraju’s political journey is over four decades old.
He joined the Congress in 1977 and became the chief organiser of the Jayanagar block Congress committee in 1984. He was elected as a corporator for the first time in the year 2001 from Pattabhiramanagar Ward # 60, Bengaluru. In 2009, he quit Congress and joined the BJP. He was elected as corporator again in 2010 and 2015. He was BBMP’s ruling party leader and he was seen as a competitor in the race for Mayor. He later joined the congress.
He is known to be friendly and approachable among the people of his constituency. He also featured in the title of No.1 corporator. He was also instrumental in building several parks in his constituency, which earned him the title of Park Nagaraju. Among his remarkable works, Kitturu Rani Chennamma Stadium will always remain at the top. If you like sports, it’s a must-visit destination for you. Apart from being one of the biggest stadiums in South Bengaluru, which can accommodate thirty thousand spectators, the stadium has hosted several district and state-level competitions. “This place makes me happy, whenever I have the opportunity I like to sit here and see these wonderful children working hard to excel in sports. We have an indoor volleyball court, a national-level badminton court, a skating rink, a basketball court, a facility for gymnastics, and a high-tech gym. Many try to snatch the credit for it but the people know whose hard work is behind all these.” Mr. Nagaraju told speaking about Kitturu Rani Chennamma Stadium.
Baandhava (friend) is a service started by him for the people of his constituency. It’s a 24×7 service that tries to solve all the issues faced by the public like drainage, street lights, medical facilities e.t.c “I want to solve the problems of people, and Baandhava is one way of doing it. People are calling us whenever they have an issue and we are really happy to solve it.” Mr. Nagaraju stated.
“I have wholeheartedly worked for the betterment of my constituency. It’s not easy when the ruling party is causing a disturbance but it’s my job to provide for my people.” He also accused the BJP of delaying the election. “I am ready to face the election but the ruling party doesn’t want to hear people’s voices. They want to spread the fire of communalism. In my ward, I have members of Christian, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu communities. Everyone wants to live peacefully. They want basic facilities like water, electricity proper drainage, e.t.c and, as a corporator, it should be our duty to deliver it.”
The term of a corporator is 5 years, so technically Mr. Nagaraju is a former corporator but that doesn’t stop him from serving his people. He travels around his constituency and meets people which also won the hearts of the people and in his locality. When we asked a jogger about Mr. Nagaraju he said, “He is a gem, an ever-smiling human being. I don’t think I have seen a politician like him, he is so approachable, and thanks to him we have this stadium where people like me can jog and enjoy nature.”
The upcoming BBMP election will be crucial for Mr. Nagaraju. Many questions arise, with people in the locality wanting him to serve his fourth term as a corporator and seeing him as the mayor of the city. The elections will clear the fizz and tell us the verdict of his hard work.
By Nishant Agarwalla
