Governance

Possibly for the first time in the electoral history of the BBMP council elections, a candidate has come forward to sign an affidavit that grants the people of her ward the 'Right to Recall' if she fails in fulfilling her duties as a Corporator. Nandini Shivkumar, 33, an Independent candidate from Subramanyanagar (Ward 66), has declared that she will step down from her post should she be unable to stop the road widening process on Dr Rajkumar Road (located in west Bangalore) and if she is found waning in her duties.Nandini Shivkumar signing the affidavit declaring to resign if she…

"Women are more available and more transparent than the men," said Kathyayini Chamaraj, Secretary of Shanthinagar Residents Development Association (SHRED). With BBMP council elections just round the corner, residents of Shanthinagar (Ward 117) assembled to meet with the candidates contesting from their ward. SHRED, in association with Citizens Welfare Association of Richard Town and Langford Town organised this programme. Col. Fredrick D'souza, President of SHRED said that garbage, road and stray dogs are the major problems of this area. Kathyayini echoed the expectations of the ward. She said that the ward communities should meet at a public place every month.…

As campaigning for the BBMP elections entered its last phase, six candidates from the Sunkenahalli ward (142) took part in a debate where they shared their plans for the ward and to reach out to the locals on March 25th. The events saw the participation of enthused residents who questioned the candidates- P N Sadashiva (Bharatiya Janata Party), S Ramesh (Janata Dal (Secular)), Prakash Belawadi (Lok Satta Party), Harish Gowda (Independent), Channegowda (Independent) and Venkatachalapathy (Independent)- on issues regarding their ward. Held at the premises of the Udaybhanu Kala Sangha, the debate was organised by the Namma Bengaluru Foundation. Prakash…

Swarnamala Jain, a 51-year-old lawyer who has been a resident of HSR Layout for 16 years, believes that the issues of sanitation, water supply and stray dog menace should be prioritised. An independent candidate, she believes that the position of corporator will garner her enough experience to enter politics. Originally from Pune, Swarnamala has been living in Bangalore for the last 27 years. Her politician husband (a former Congress member) and son and daughter - both law students - are very supportive and contribute with new ideas, she says. She has declared assets worth Rs 1.5 crore. Swarnamala Jain. Pic:…

With a little more than 24 hours left for the BBMP council elections to take place, Domlur (Ward 112) residents got to familiarise themselves with their ward Corporator candidates in Domlur club on Wednesday, March 24th.The residents of the ward will choose their Corporator from five women candidates, namely L Manjula (Independent), Rajalakshmi Y L (Congress), Suguna H N (JD(S)), Geetha Srinivasa Reddy (BJP) and Sandhya Shantha Kumar (Independent). The ward has been reserved under the General category for women. Domlur candidates at an interaction with residents of the ward. Pic: Charu Sharma. As many as 150 residents came under…

This coming BBMP council election is seeing over 700 independent candidates in the fray. While many are contesting as independents after being denied a party ticket, there are others from low income groups and resident welfare associations, fed up with mainstream political parties, and therefore deciding to take it upon themselves to bring about some much-needed change. B Vedi is one such person. This 36-year-old has decided to contest in these elections upon the insistence of his supporters and ardent followers in the Dr B R Ambedkar Vegetable Loaders Association, based in KR Market and the residents of Sudhamanagar (Ward…

It is not uncommon that money is doled out in thousands or even lakhs during an election. The BBMP council elections are no different. Just as voters are wooed by candidates, the media aren't spared either. Citizen Matters experienced this first-hand during the last few days with candidates from three mainstream political parties offering money to be written about.At the time of interviewing a candidate, one of the first questions you are asked as a reporter is, "How much do you charge?" or "Do we have to pay for this interview?" When one replies in the negative, it would be…

What was meant to be a healthy debate that would help the people of Vasanthnagar (Ward no: 93) decide on who was best suited to be their corporator went that way for over an hour. And then, in a matter of minutes, it spiralled into an emotionally-loaded exchange of words between rival political factions. The debate held at the Punjab Seva Samithi in the Vasanthnagar Area, saw the participation of five candidates - R. Mallikarjuna (Janata Dal (Secular)), Lokapriya (Nationalist Congress Party), N.S Ramakanth (Lok Satta Party), B.R Naidu (Congress) and Katta Jagadish Naidu (Bharatiya Janata Party). Arguments exchanged between…

Running for the post of corporator from Koramangala are four women from reserved Backward Caste ‘A' category. So come March 28th, the residents of Kormangla ward will have to choose from P Bhagya (BJP), Kokila Radakrishna (Congress), K Malathi (Independent) and Dr Florence (JD(S)) to represent them in the Council.All the four women came together on one platform to interact with the residents of their ward on March 21st at National Games Village, Koramangala. The event was a debate organised by SmartVote and the Koramangala United Citizens Council (KUCC).  Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde was invited as a special guest. The…

I spent sometime during the past week reading about a number of candidates in various election wards of BBMP. I have got email from some of them, and sms-es from some others. I've watched them walk by on the streets in my neighbourhood and in other areas. I've been reading the daily news reports about the elections that every paper is now carrying. I've seen the profiles posted on websites, including the one I moderate. And occasionally, I've watched a few minutes of campaign coverage and talk shows on TV.I encourage you to do all this too, because there's something…