Bengaluru: People seem to be chanting the Vote for Change mantra in South Bengaluru. Their objective: to bring in more accountable politics in the country.
While the BJP’s Ananth Kumar is a known face, not everyone seems familiar with the Congress party’s Nandan Nilekani who is making his debut in electoral politics these elections after spending most of his life helping make IT major Infosys the giant it is today.
While he became a recognized figure nationwide as head of UIDAI, the news of his foray into politics doesn’t seem to have reached everyone in the constituency yet.
Without being specific about his choice, Ravikiran Govindaraju, a techie, says, “Irrespective of the party, I will vote for the candidate I believe can help the city. We have seen caste politics and money power rule the roost for too long. We need to change the way our political system functions and I hope the candidate we choose will become an instrument of this change.”
Ms Malathi.B, a lecturer at R.V Institute of Management Studies is looking for an educated representative. “The city lacks heroes who can fulfill the dreams of the common man. Educated leaders can bridge this gap. I will vote for the person who understands the needs of a growing cosmopolitan city like Bengaluru and takes the steps to meet them,” she says .Ms Anjali Khanna, a BPO employee living in Basavanagudi, admits she is rooting for Gujarat chief minister Narendera Modi. “I believe that Mr Modi will become the next Prime Minister, and so I will support his party. I have attended his rallies and I hope he will bring in the change the country needs,” she says.
An auto driver, Veerabhadra Shetty, who lives in Katriguppe, is not familiar with the name Nandan Nilekani.
“I haven’t heard of any such person. I have been voting only for Ananth Kumar for the last two elections and I am very happy with all the development he has brought the city. “I have heard that Narendra Modi will become the next PM and so I will vote for t he BJP,” he says.
