Bangalore: “Engage, Contribute, Demand” was the mantra of prominent Bangalurians from different walks of life to make the city, and the nation a better place to live in at a brainstorming on the issue here on Thursday.
Political leaders, senior officials of the government and socially active citizens dwelt on how winnability in an election has been redefined over the years, especially in urban areas and more so after the Delhi elections.
The focus was on Creating Civic Leaders for Bangalore City at the fundraising event organized by BPAC.
A discussion on changing expectations of urban voters saw leaders of various political parties acknowledge that politics needs to change to meet the changing aspirations and expectations of people.
As PGR Sindhia of the JD(S), CN Ashwath Narayan of the BJP, Rizwan Arshad of the Youth Congress, Prithvi Reddy of the Aam Aadmi Party and RK Misra of Nav Bharat did some candid introspection, senior and retired government officials emphasized on citizens participating in local governance.
Said former Lokayukta , Justice Santosh Hegde: “There is no point in sitting in our comfort zones and talking about the change that our city, our nation, our democracy and politics need.
“Each of us needs to actively engage in governance issues. The time for new politics is here and it is up to us to make what we can of it.”
BPAC president, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw was clear that voter apathy and disengagement had to stop.
“Otherwise we have no right to criticise the current politics or governance and neither can we afford to be cynical,” she sai
She was however pleased that BPAC’s drive to register voters had pushed up their number to 1.7 million.
“The Vote Maadi drive played a huge role in the voting percentage in Bengeluru going up from 43% to 57%. We believe that governance and citizens’ engagement has to start at the ward level. The country needs big change. We need to establish good connect between politics and citizenry,” she added.
Vice President of BPAC, Mohandas Pai, said the time had come to demand better performance from elected representatives.
“We need to organise ourselves, build a lobby of educated middle class and swing political decisions. At least 32% of voters in Delhi have voted for the Aam Aadmi Party which is only a few months old. This reestablishes how citizen engagement is essential for democracy,” he said.
The evening also saw auction of art works, including one of Yusuf Arakkal, a Khadi and Handloom fashion show and a talk by former international model Bibi Russell on Fashion for Development.
