Date:16/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/16/stories/2008021661290300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Initiative to prevent candidates from being ‘imposed’ on people

M. Raghuram

BANGALORE: This movement is not inspired by theories of democracy or any political ideology. And it is definitely not inspired by films on the Father of the Nation.

Rather, it has emerged from a strong need for meeting the people’s expectations from the administration. Gandhigiri People’s Initiative, which has come up in Ward No 100 in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits, will launch an election campaign in a different way.

“It is an initiative launched by the people to help them manage their own civic affairs and seek solutions collectively,” says a member of organisation K.N. Venugopal. This time when the BBMP Council goes to elections, official candidates of the various political parties will have to contend with the candidates chosen directly by the people and not a candidate “imposed” on the community by any political leader.

Mr. Venugopal told The Hindu that for the last one year 27 resident welfare associations in the Rajmahal Vilas Extension Second Stage (Ward No 100) have been watching infrastructure and civic facilities going from bad to worse. Corporators and MLAs, they felt, were not responsive to the problems of the people but were carrying on an agenda of their respective political parties.