Bengaluru: In a digital protest that garnered significant attention, several city residents launched a protest on X, demanding immediate BBMP elections and generating over 300 posts within 90 minutes.
The online campaign emerged after traditional methods of protest, including letter-writing and officer meetings, failed to address the city's mounting infrastructure problems.
The recent rain has exposed Bengaluru's vulnerable infrastructure, with widespread waterlogging, flooded apartments, and deteriorating road conditions plaguing various neighbourhoods. Citizens of Mahadevapura, Jayanagar, and Indiranagar participated in the campaign by sharing photographic proof of civic issues in their areas, accompanied by captions highlighting the urgent need for local governance.
The posts ranged from "potholes everywhere but where are our elected officials?" to "bad roads and traffic jams, yet no accountability. Bengaluru needs BBMP elections".
"The main problem is we don't have anyone in local governance to hold accountable for the work not being done," said a citizen on the condition of anonymity. "If we have elections, we'll at least have an elected representative to whom we can talk about our problems."
Meanwhile, Jhakata.org, which spearheaded a parallel signature campaign, has collected more than 10,000 signatures supporting the demand for immediate elections.
Chiku Agarwal from Jhakata noted: "Our main intention in holding an X storm was to get attention from the top level. Decentralisation of power is a must as of now so we'll have someone to hold accountable." He added that when they asked people to share pictures of areas needing immediate repair, they received over 100 pictures from a limited group of people.
The deteriorating infrastructure has forced citizens to take their protests online. "Citizens find themselves confined to their homes, unable to take to the streets to voice their concerns," explained Vinod Jacob, from Namma Bengaluru Foundation. He added that despite persistent efforts to highlight the urgency of holding BBMP elections, progress remains elusive.