Arundhati Nag,
Theatreperson & founder, Ranga Shankara
The poor voter turnout reflects a complete apathy, distrust and a belief that “we don’t make a difference.” The citizens seem to have generally lost faith in the system. One reason could be that a lot of people did not have their names in the voters’ list. But if they did have their names and still did not vote, then there ought to be some kind of accountability. Voting has also become a matter of convenience. We don’t like to stand in a queue. Voting somehow is not that important. The Election Commission has to do something about this thinking.
Ashwini Nachappa,
Arjuna award winning athlete
Poor voter turn out is a real shame. People are probably fed up with the political system. Nevertheless, I think it is important to come out and express your opinion instead of sitting at home and cribbing about it. I also think that there are very few native Bangaloreans left and so the feeling of commitment to one’s City does not exist. There is no point in blaming the political system alone when the public have such a complacent attitude.
Ashish Ballal,
Indian hockey player
I think there was a lot of confusion over the EPIC card and many names did not figure in the voters’ list at all. For instance, my name and those of many I know did not find place, though we were quite enthusiastic about exercising our franchise. People I interacted with also displayed immense frustration over the candidates put up by the parties. Many are unworthy ones and some have a background in real estate and people wonder what kind of governance such people would be able to offer.
Ramesh Ramanathan
Founder, Janaagraha
To say that 44 per cent turnout was bad is a misleading conclusion. It means 440 voters out of every 1,000 electorate in a booth. In the past, 200 out of the 440 would have been bogus names. But this time, thanks to a vigilant EC, the number of genuine voters has gone up from 240 to 440. That’s a good sign. In a city where people migrate to and fro, the business of updating the list every five years doesn’t work. A different system has to be put in place; a fundamental change is required in the method of preparing the list.
Meenakshi Bharath,
Secretary, Swambhimaan Trust
Only 44 per cent of the citizens voting was quite disappointing. The need of the hour is to ensure that the citizens’ names are found on the voters’ list and to inspire them to exercise their franchise. The first time voters and the youth who are tech-savvy should have taken time out to visit the website to ensure that their names had been added in the voter’s list. Two sections of people like the permanent residents and non-permanent residents need to be categorised, where the permanent residents’ names should not taken off the list.
