Candidates take the bus route to woo voters

The candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha elections made good use of the “Bus Day” in the City on Friday to reach out to the electorate.

Nandan Nilekani, the Congress contestant for Bangalore South, boarded the route 2A bus from Jayanagar bus stop and interacted with his fellow commuters.

He described Bus Day as a good effort to draw attention of citizens to the public transport system.

“When I asked people for ideas to improve the City, many provided suggestions and ideas to better our public transport. We can make our bus and metro systems truly world class if we act on these ideas,” he said. Nilekani got down at Indira Gandhi circle, JP Nagar.

When reporters questioned Nilekani on his poll rival Ananth Kumar, he said: “I have a clear conscience. But, the baggage that Ananth Kumar is carrying is his own, and its very heavy.”

Rizwan Arshad, the Congress candidate for Bangalore Central took the route 273 bus from Shivajinagar to Majestic. He interacted with passengers, enquired about the pass system and services. Women passengers told him that men usually do not vacate seats reserved for them. Rizwan said he will convey their grievance to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and ensure the rule is strictly followed.

Earlier in the day,  a web portal of Rizwan was launched. “I began as the Youth Congress president to reach out to young minds.  This portal will become a platform through which the people can reach out to me,” he said.  The website - www.rizwanarshad.in - declares the motto, “Forward thinking will move you to the future.”

Ananth sets out on foot

However, Ananth Kumar, the BJP candidate for Bangalore South chose to be different. He did not take the bus, but went on a padayatra at Bommanahalli, greeting people and seeking votes. He visited a garment factory in the area. Later in the day, Kumar inspected the preparations for Narendra Modi’s rally at Bommanahalli on April 8.

BJP candidate for Bangalore North D V Sadananda Gowda held roadshows in Manjunathnagar and Chokkasandra under Dasarahalli Assembly segment of the Lok Sabha constituency. Gowda dwelt at length on his achievements as chief minister.

“I provided a transparent administration. I had installed CCTV cameras in all my offices and people were able to watch the proceedings in the offices via the Internet. But, these cameras were removed soon after Siddaramaiah assumed office as chief minister,” he said.