Bengaluru city legislators, many of whom have been elected more than three times, are quite confident that they will be re-elected, even as people clamor over the city’s poor infrastructure.
The city’s creaking infrastructure, including dug-out roads, flooded drains, encroached rivers, and congested roads, continues to plague Brand Bengaluru, but come elections, the issues don’t seem to be a priority.
People should open their eyes and vote for the government which gives them good roads, adequate drinking water and safe movement. Why do people suddenly have temporary amnesia about their suffering and the failing infrastructure that affects their lives and homes? asks Dilip Shastri, who lives near Doddanekundi area of Bengaluru.
Civic evangelist V Ravichander points out that Bengalis are not mature enough to realize that every vote counts and should be based on the performance of legislators. “When there is flood there is a lot of noise and fury but even the political system does not see any link between better governance and getting re-elected. It doesn’t matter,” he said.
The urban expert stressed that Bengaluru currently has no corporators and is being governed by the state and the MLAs.
“If things go wrong, he has to be held accountable because it happened on his watch. Normally, you would think that legislators are there to make laws and do not have executive oversight. But in fact, because of the state’s influence in city governance, if they take credit for what’s going well, they should also take the blame for what’s going wrong,” he told News18.
Another urban expert Srinivas Alvalli also said that people have separated elections from governance. He said elections are a “big spectacle” and governance is separate. He said that issues like floods are short term.
“Even Covid-19 has been forgotten by our country, then what about floods. People do not understand the connection between flood and elections. Legislators can stop these floods by stopping construction and encroachment. So each vote counts,” Alvalli said.
DP Satish of News18 said: “For the people of Bengaluru, issues like flood and traffic are discussed and debated before and after elections, never during it. This shows the apathy of voters to address Bengaluru’s infrastructure woes. During elections, the infrastructure crisis and voting are separate elections. They never meet.
On a positive note, social media is playing an important role this time as many first-time voters are voting rationally and not on emotions like caste, language or religion, say Bengalis.
“We need to address the elephant in the room. MLAs in the city have their own nexus and ensure that voters do not cast their vote on issues related to development but on caste and other factors. The comfort is that they cannot be defeated by the city’s problems. That narrative needs to change,” says Harish Deshpande, who works with an EV company in Bommanahalli.
It is interesting to note that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) announced the budget for the year 2023-24 for the third time in the absence of the Municipal Council. The budget had estimated a whopping Rs 11,157 crore – about 65 per cent – to be allocated for infrastructure projects and another 13 per cent for solid waste management.
Solid waste management has been another issue the city was dealing with when it got the tag of ‘garbage city’ as it started stinking due to inefficient waste management. It is beset with traffic woes, potholed roads, and low-lying lakes and rivers.
But Bengaluru city legislators argue that the city has grown rapidly and, like Chennai or Mumbai, is unplanned with small roads.
State Revenue Minister and MLA from Padmanabhanagar, Bengaluru City constituency, R Ashok said that being a Bengali himself, he understands the issue. However, he blames illegal encroachment on lakes and not bad governance for the problem. Despite the troubles, the world is still looking to Bengaluru to invest in technology and manufacturing, he points out.
“Bengaluru is like a saucer and unprecedented rains have hit the city. We have given more than Rs 2,000 crore to clean these storm water drains. People understand that the BJP government is working to streamline the issues and provide better roads and mobility like metro services, air connectivity etc. Floods and potholes are not a problem that has arisen today. This is a problem the city has been facing for the past 20 years and is improving every year, not worsening,” Ashok told News18.
Karnataka Higher Education and IT/BT Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan said that there are some groups who are ‘jealous’ of Bengaluru and leave no chance to malign the brand.
“Just because one square meter in the entire 1,000 square kilometers of Bengaluru was affected, people criticized us. Some people were jealous of Bengaluru and how the city has grown so much. No one can challenge Bengaluru and it will continue to grow and develop to become a world-class city,” he said.
Narayan said that Bengaluru is passing through challenging times due to the sudden change in weather patterns. The current Basavaraj Bommai government has come out with better and more relevant policies which will help in building the city and addressing the concerns of the people.
“We are building a robust system that will help resolve issues in a systematic, scientific manner,” Narayan told News18.
In the latest budget presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, he allocated a grant of Rs 9,698 crore for the IT capital of the country. It also included funding for a project to prevent flooding, building new roads and a new proposal to create a start-up park. But many people called it an attempt to appease the voters in view of the elections.
It is also observed that there is a disconnect between what the city faces during the assembly elections and what ultimately motivates people to vote.
“State elections are different from BBMP elections. We will vote for a competent corporator who will get our work done while announcing BBMP elections. Right now, we need to vote for smart MLAs who will represent the state and Bengaluru,” said Savita Rao, an IT professional who has been living in the city for the last two decades.
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