Vote before going on vacation, citizens’ group tells Bengalureans

BENGALURU: If you are planning a summer vacation, factor in your democratic right to vote in the assembly elections, likely to be held in May, a citizen action group has appealed to Bengalureans.
“Bengaluru’s educated population must come out and vote this time in large numbers. The most important thing is for all of us to adjust our vacation plans, regardless of the day on which the election is held. Did you know that election dates are fixed around the time you may be planning your summer vacation so that fewer of us come out to vote and politicians can have a free run for the next 5 years?” reads the March newsletter of citizen action group Whitefield Rising.

The citizens forum has over 23,000 members in its Facebook group and over 11,000 followers on Twitter.

Appealing to citizens to show up in large numbers, the group said those annoyed with improper garbage collection, heavy spending on infrastructure projects, sad state of roads and other woes now have the chance to hold those in power accountable.

“We want to create awareness about the fact that many of us end up missing out on actually participating in the election process due to reasons like vacation. All the dissatisfaction with elected representatives should come out at this time,” said a member of Whitefield Rising.

Citizen activism has been on the rise in recent years, starting with the successful anti-steel flyover movement. Smaller and localized groups have emerged and gained prominence for organising protests, human chains and peaceful demonstrations to grab the attention of the powers that be.

Their focus is now the polls to ensure maximum turnout, given that poor voting has been the bane of Bengaluru elections.

Aruna Newton, president of HAL II Stage Civic Amenities and Cultural Association, Indiranagar, said their aim is to ensure citizens take interest in the elections. “Even educated people say things like their voter ID cards are of their hometowns. People tend to be careless about actually voting, and there is a need to educate people to not be apathetic. The state of the city reflects the attitude of its citizens,” she said.

The Malleshwaram Swabhimana Initiative (MSI), one of the oldest RWAs in the city, will make elections the focus at their next meeting in April. “We will consider starting a campaign closer to the polls. The percentage of the population that participates in process is always small. We want to encourage residents of Malleswaram to take part whole-heartedly in the process so that they are represented,” said Rekha Chari, president of MSI.