Bengaluru, March 6 (IANS) Karnataka BJP and JD-S legislators met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his office in Vidhana Soudha on Thursday and urged him to consider sanctioning Rs 150 crore in annual funds for constituencies represented by party MLAs in the budget for the financial year 2025-26.

Siddaramaiah is set to present the budget on March 7.

The leaders submitted a memorandum, requesting that Siddaramaiah use his discretionary powers to allocate the funds. The delegation included Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka, State BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra, senior MLA Arvind Bellad, JD-S floor leader C.B. Suresh Babu, and others.

The delegation also demanded that Siddaramaiah include an additional Rs 5 crore to the existing amount allocated for constituency development in the 2025-26 budget and announce it while presenting the budget. They also sought an allocation of Rs 50 crore in grants for the construction of infrastructure, roads, and other development activities.

Addressing Siddaramaiah, the memorandum stated: “As you are aware, in the last two years, due to the non-allotment of funds for Assembly constituencies represented by BJP and JD-S legislators, no development work has taken place. These constituencies are lagging behind in the construction of roads, drainage systems, and essential facilities such as colleges, hospitals, and school buildings. The lack of development in constituencies represented by opposition MLAs has also caused embarrassment for your government.”

The memorandum further stated that people in these constituencies are not receiving the benefits of government programs such as Gangakalyan, land ownership schemes, and fisheries initiatives.

“We assume that you share our concern that these constituencies and communities should not be left behind,” it emphasised.

Earlier, a Karnataka BJP delegation, led by Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka and State President and MLA, B.Y. Vijayendra, submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ahead of the presentation of the 2025-26 budget, demanding a special grant of Rs 15,000 crore exclusively for Bengaluru.

The delegation urged the government to allocate the special grant in the budget to expedite ongoing development projects and initiate new ones in Bengaluru. They also demanded that Rs 150 crore be allocated to each Assembly constituency.

The BJP called for the construction of at least 100 vehicle parking complexes in the city to address the persistent parking issues.

--IANS

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