ELECTIONS

The BJP secured 112 out of 198 seats in the BBMP council, with the Congress party winning 64 seats and JD(S) 15.  For those of you who could not watch the details unfold during the day, most of the results are up on these two websites, bbmp elections and karsec.Each ward is linked to a detailed result sheet. In addition to votes cast for the candidates, the following data is available on each sheet - total number of voters in the ward, total number of votes cast, total number of votes rejected.Stay tuned for Citizen Matters analysis of the results…

 With usual messiness, city polls go peacefullyReally, was it 45 percent turnout?A turning point for BengaluruMake them take sidesCandidate details for BBMP elections 2010JP Nagar, Sarakki election debate focuses on water‘Shortest ever' election cycle in full swingCity activists take plunge into politics with BBMP pollsKoramangala residents sound the drum, form citizen councilSmartvote campaign reaches thousandsIn Sagayapuram, only 2 out of 8 candidates turn up for election debateSeasoned panchayat officials, fresher in fray at Bellandur'Cash for coverage' comes to BBMP elections tooDomlur high on expectations from future councillorOne candidate shows up at Thanisandra election debateElection debate turns into grievance forumBanaswadi residents…

It's unlikely that this level of questioning has happened systematically at public election events in Bengaluru before. During the last ten days of campaigning, BBMP council candidates around the city were grilled on tough questions: growth limits for the city, cash compensation for property losers from roadwidening, support from Akrama/Sakrama and more. In addition to the expected and nevertheless important questions water supply, garbage and electricity, 37 candidates from across the city and across party lines were asked to take a stand on key policy issues in terms of ‘YES' or ‘NO' with explanations. While some of these questions were…

It was a largely peaceful polling day for Bengaluru on Sunday, March 28th, and lakhs of citizens came out to vote in the first BBMP elections since 2001. Three and a half years after the erstwhile city council was dissolved by the state government in late 2006, and several litigations later, the State Election Commission pulled out a major effort to conduct the city polls at very short notice.Presiding, polling officers and police personnel throughout the city were helpful and knew their procedures. Arifulla Shareef, election observer for Rajajinagar assembly constituency told Citizen Matters that most complaints were about people…

Yet again, on the day after the city polls of March 28th, both State Election Commission (SEC) officials and the city’s dailies are crying hoarse about low turnout in Bengaluru. Official estimates are reportedly putting the number at around 45 percent and several dailies today have sermonised in their editorials that Bangaloreans did not take this election seriously enough.Really? Let’s look at the numbers again. According to the SEC, the total number of voters for all 198 wards of Bengaluru is 69.7 lakhs. Let’s stop right there. Is this number even possible? Graphic: Meera K. Even after amalgamation of towns…

For over ten days now, Citizen Matters has followed the hectic election campaigns of candidates around the city. A mixed reality has already come out from our talking to candidates, their campaigners and voters. Some, for e.g. in Koramangala ward, have told us this: historically middle and high income groups (‘English-educated avaru’) won’t come out and vote on election day, so we cannot count on them for actually winning the race. We’ll stick to the ‘slums’.Others have done the opposite. Depending on the ward itself, many mainline party candidates have taken out door-to-door campaigns canvassing in higher income neighbourhoods and…

Babu Reddy, 37 is a resident of Devarabisanahalli. His ambition includes reading and social service. He has been part of social service projects such as building government schools at Devarabisanahalli, Kanahalli, Sullikunte to organising blood donation camps etc. He joined the Congress 15 years back and was the gram panchayat member between 2000-05. He is married to Sashikala and has two children.38 year P Mahesh is a native of B Nagasandra village near Bellandur Lake. He studied in Muni Hobbamma Boys High School, Coxtown and is into real estate business. Married to Shweta, Mahesh has a 4-year old daughter. His…

"Why is Banaswadi not as developed as areas in south Bangalore like JP Nagar, Jayanagar and Banashankari?", asked residents at a recent public meeting with candidates contesting from Banaswadi (Ward 27).All candidates said that the combined efforts of the Corporator, the BBMP and the public are required to develop the ward.Another resident, C M Subbaiah, also member of the North East Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) asked the party candidates why they had not raised their voice against the development of a BDA layout on a tank bed in the ward. "Your question is correct. We should have done…

On March 24th, residents of Rajarajeshwari Nagar were to get an opportunity to interact with their candidates on a common platform through a debate-cum-discussion, ahead of the BBMP polls. But, this event seemed to have not been taken seriously by the candidates who made cameo appearances and then left much before the debate got over. The event took place at Munivenkatappa Smaraka Bayalu, Rangamandira.Organised by Namma Bengaluru Foundation, in association with Ideal Homes Association, Radio Indigo, SmartVote and Citizen Matters, the event was meant to be an interactive session between the candidates themselves and also between candidates and residents. As…

Thanisandra looks forward to better living. A recent interactive session between the residents and the candidates contesting in the elections gave the residents some hope.Gokul Kadambi, Secretary of Federation of Residents’ Welfare Association, Hebbal summed it up saying, “Ours is an under developed ward. We lack even basic amenities like drinking water, roads, sewerage etc. we are looking forward to a better Thanisandra. These candidates’ promises give us great hopes.”However, this ward, which is reserved for women in the Backward Category A gave an indication, perhaps of things to come. Of the four women candidates, only one turned up herself,…