Karnataka Assembly Elections: Chamrajpet Seat

The birth of Chamarajpet is a watershed moment in the history of Bengaluru for more reasons than one. It all started way back in 1880 when Bengaluru was a prosperous trade and commerce hub with a population of 80,000. Overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions in the old city prompted the Mysore rulers to create new extensions.

Chamarajpet was the first such extension formed in 1892. But it gained prominence as a residential locality only gradually as people were initially hesitant to move away from the city . Five years after Chamarajpet was created, the plague struck the old city and this led to the population of the extension.

Chamarajapet was a well-planned layout that derived its name from Chamarajendra Wodeyar, who ruled from 1868 to 1894 and was known for progressive thinking. Since Chamarajpet was the old city's first extension, it was named in his honour.

The Chamarajendra Sanskrit College, one of the oldest in the city, exists even today. The nomenclature of Chamarajpet 1st Main Road is a story in itself. Initially called Albert Victor Road -in the memory of the former Prince of Wales, who laid the foundation stone for the Lalbagh Glass House in 1888 (the plaque indicating this is found at the Lalbagh entrance even today) -it was renamed Aluru Venkata Rao Road (after the leader of the Karnataka Ekikarana movement) post-Independence, ensuring that the abbreviation A V remained.

Chamarajpet retains its historical charm with landmarks like Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat that was established in 1915 and religious structures like the Kote Venkataramana Temple.

The current MLA is B.Z.Zameer Ahmed Khan of JD(S), won against G.A.Bava of Congress.

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