City: Bengaluru

Pic: Shree D N In a telephonic interview with Citizen Matters, Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Bengaluru North, Babu Mathew, reveals his plans for future. Here are the excerpts from the interview which summarise his policies and plans for his constituency, interaction with voters etc. AAP is known to have deserted Delhi. Why should people vote for AAP in this elections? Won't voting for AAP lead to a hung parliament? AAP is the first step towards the second freedom movement in India. How does your party plan to control corruption? AAP is determined to see the passage of the Jan…

Pic: Nikita Malusare P C Mohan had made many promises in 2009, when he contested Lok Sabha elections from Bengaluru Central. Many voters wonder what he has done, even as a survey shows him scoring well on many fronts. As a candidate to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, this is what PC Mohan promised in an interview with Smart Vote. * 3 priorities of your constituency? Concentrate on infrastructure, public amenities and environmental issues * How do you plan to address these issues in parliament? Certain issues can be sorted out in state, some need grants. Whatever is required I…

P C Mohan campaigning with Arvind Limbavali in an open vehicle. Pic: Nikita Malusare North-east of Bengaluru has some semi-urban areas or villages — Seegehalli, Kannamangala and Avalahalli among others — which don’t attract anyone, let alone politicians, on an ordinary day. However, P C Mohan was seen campaigning here along with Aravind Limbavali, on April 7th, 2014. The two leaders of BJP were seen doing a roadshow in an open vehicle that advertised Narendra Modi on one side and P C Mohan on the other. Citizen Matters caught up with the roadshow at Seegehalli. Three Innovas and a Swift,…

I hit the campaign trail this morning to see for myself what voters feel. Earlier this week, the idea popped in my head that I should step beyond the smug cocktail circuit to revisit the grassroots election campaign. I have not done this for over a decade, and I feel that I have to observe first hand these elections that have thrown up so many vexatious questions that no party is able to answer. I am also curious to see if campaigning has changed now – what with a new breed of candidates, and more questioning constituents. AAP volunteers at…

Pic: Nikita Malusare Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), in association with Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA), conducted its second Rashtriya Lok Adalat at BDA headquarters in Bengaluru, aiming to clear cases pertaining to Arkavathy layout. Matters related to other layouts remained unheard. The aim of the Lok Adalat was to resolve allotment or possession cases of BDA sites. Such an adalat would also minimise the need for citizens to approach courts and spend money on lawyers and face never-ending litigation. At the inaugural function, Justice N K Patil, the judge of Karnataka High court pressed on the need to evolve…

The essential characteristic of the world of the Blind or visually impaired is darkness in varied degrees. How well do we, the sighted, comprehend this world? What is it like to dance, sing, laugh, eat and cry in the dark? Prevention of Blindness Week, observed during the first week of April, highlights the key needs and efforts to address the challenges confronting visual impairment in the country. Activities as part of Prevention of Blindness Week The Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled and The Eye Foundation’s planned activities during the forthcoming week, however, promise a lot more and are a cause…

The General Elections 2014 have begun. In the first phase reports suggest 80 - 85% polling in Tripura and 75% voter turnout in Assam. Voter turnout in phase two, in the other four North Eastern states of Arunachal, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland began on a low note till noon. But picked up by end of day with Nagaland and Manipur recording around 80% and Arunachal a 55% The national BJP Manifesto and the JD(S) manifesto for Bangalore city were released this week. The CPI (M), Congress and AAP termed aspects of the BJP manifesto as communal and the Congress went…

The election madness hasn’t perturbed her one bit. She seems to have seen it all, right from the time she started extensively campaigning for numerous elections post her marriage to politician Dr Jeevraj Alva, when she was no more than 16 years old! Being a danseuse, businesswoman, socialite and homemaker, she did not fear adding more to her juggling act. Today, Nandini Alva, all of 52, sounds very articulate when we speak to her about her entry into politics. She has been chosen to contest as a JD(S) candidate from Bangalore Central for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Nandini Alva…

The city of Bengaluru has been festooned with banners, posters and hoardings urging us to vote. The fence facing the BBMP head office was, earlier this week, covered with pennants in Kannada and English, reminding us all that it was our duty to vote. Newspapers carried prominent ads and announcements, reiterating  the same message. Many of us who wanted very much to vote, however, found a wide chasm between what the administration urged and its intentions to facilitate what it wanted citizens to do. I have been a voter for some decades, and exercised my franchise at every election. As…

I have been working closely with the door-to-door collection in our ward, with the residents on the one hand, the garbage collectors and the BBMP officials on the other hand. There is one question that always comes up within a few minutes of interaction. Who do we call, if the auto guy does not turn up for collection? If a house in our street is not segregating? if somebody is found dumping? If the sweeper is burning leaves? If the black spot near my house is not cleared? A dump in Malleshwaram Pic: Ramesh Sreekantan A simple enough question —…