Why Bengaluru traffic is creating political noise in Kerala ahead of Lok Sabha elections
Kerala, particularly in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, where heavyweight politicians Shashi Tharoor (Congress) and Rajeev Chandrasekhar (BJP) are vying for victory in the Lok Sabha elections.
The Kerala Congress has raised questions about Chandrasekhar's ability to implement an infrastructure development plan for Thiruvananthapuram, highlighting that a 7 lm drive on Airport Road from Hebbal to MG Road takes between 45 mins to 1 hour. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee brought attention to the contentious steel bridge project on the social media platform X. Proposed by the Siddaramaiah government in 2016 at a cost of Rs 1,300 crore, the nearly 6.7-kilometer steel bridge project sparked widespread protests and became a focal point of contention.
Chandrasekhar's candidacy in Thiruvananthapuram has reignited debates surrounding the shelved steel bridge project.
The Congress party drew attention to the plight of Bengaluru commuters, highlighting instances of 374 individuals missing their flights in a single day due to traffic delays. They underscored the need for infrastructure improvements, referencing the proposed steel flyover aimed at reducing travel time on Airport Road from Hebbal to MG Road. However, the project faced opposition and was eventually scrapped, with the Congress accusing Chandrasekhar of spearheading a misinformation campaign against it through his organization, Namma Bengaluru Foundation.
The unexpected involvement of the Congress party in Karnataka's traffic issues drew criticism from
