This candidate pedals to peddle his dream of change to voters

BENGALURU: Roadshows with netas sticking their heads out of the sunroofs of their swanky SUVs is commonplace. But in CV Raman Nagar, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate has chosen to reach the common man on a ride that he can connect with – the bicycle.

Mohan Dasari, AAP candidate from CV Raman Nagar, has been cycling the length and breadth of his

constituency to reach out to voters. Pitted against heavyweights like incumbent MLA S Raghu of BJP, Bengaluru mayor R Sampath Raj of Congress and Ramesh of JD(S), the IT engineer is determined to make a mark.

“I’m a commoner and I have been reaching out to people in the simplest way possible. My team and I have visited over 60,000 households in the area and we are confident about bringing a change,” says Dasari, during his cycle rally campaign in Hoysala Nagar. His cycle campaigns are aptly titled #Pedal4Change.

His party members pedal across the constituency in two files, meeting voters, promising them development and a cleaner Kaggadasapura Lake, if Dasari is chosen over the seasoned politicians in the fray.

A native of Ballari and an MS graduate from the prestigious BITS Pilani, Dasari was a successful IT engineer for 15 years before he decided to quit his lucrative job to start an NGO promoting child education. He contested as an independent candidate from Hagaribommanahalli in Ballari district in the 2013 assembly elections before joining AAP. He also contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 from Chitradurga on an AAP ticket. An active member of the ‘Save Kaggadasapura Lake’ movement in CV Raman Nagar, Dasari and his partymen have been on the cycle trail for the past six months and hope to have made an impact on the people. He says his primary resolve is to save and revive Kaggadasapura Lake. Besides the cycle trail, social media too is one of the mainstays of Dasari’s campaign. His office in HAL II Stage has the air of a control room with dozens of techies sitting at computers and chalking out routes for cycle and door-to-door campaign trails.

“A majority of the constituency comprises salaried people. Their problems vary from severe property tax burden, lack of good roads, poor garbage management and unreliable water supply,” he adds.

“For the last 10 years there has been no development in CV Raman Nagar. Illegal commercialisation and encroachments are rampant. Whatever may the election result, we are here for the long run,” says the 34-year-old before pedaling off to his next campaigning stop.