Ahead of civic polls in the city, only two in 10 people know the name of the last Mayor: Gautam Kumar, who demitted office in 2020. Elections to the civic body haven’t been held since then.
A survey by the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy also revealed a majority of them approached MLAs and MPs, but only 12% approached a councillor for grievance redressal and 88% of the respondents had never met a city councillor.
The survey also revealed more than half of the voters (52%) do not recognise wards as the basic unit of governance, while 87% of the respondents are not aware of ward committees.
However, the survey also revealed a contradictory picture that though many lack awareness and connect with civic governance, first-time voters evince a keen interest to engage with civic polls.
Among the first-time voters part of the survey, 86% of them strongly expressed their intention to cast their vote in the upcoming civic polls and 88% of them believe strong local governance is the key to a better future of the city.
Further, 79% of the city’s youths are concerned with the impact of climate change on the city, and an overall 89% of the respondents are concerned with environmental issues, including soaring temperatures and unseasonal rains.
“We tried to understand the degree of awareness citizens have about BBMP, particularly the first-time voters. The results show that very few understand the role of BBMP, ward councillors, and ward committees, but are keen to vote and want civic polls to be conducted on the basis of everyday issues that affect them. To improve our city, the institution of local governance must be strengthened, beginning with participating in local elections,” said Srinivas Alavilli, Head, Civic Participation, Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy.
He also added that the survey results would be submitted to all political parties in the fray for the civic polls, to help them present a compelling vision to seek votes.
