RWAs begin voter awareness drives

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next month, resident welfare associations (RWAs) in Bengaluru have launched voter awareness drives. They are also helping with new enrolments and assisting with updation of addresses on existing voter IDs. 

Elections for Karnataka’s 28 Lok Sabha seats will be held in two phases. Fourteen seats in south Karnataka, including Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South and coastal areas, will go to polls on April 26. The other 14 constituencies in north Karnataka will vote on May 7. According to reports, Karnataka has around 5 crore eligible voters.

RWAs are putting the bulk of their efforts into reminding people of their duty to vote. They are also apprising senior residents of the vote-from-home facility. ‘You can’t complain if you don’t vote’ and ‘Your one vote can help your favourite candidate win’ are among some messages they are posting on WhatsApp groups.

Since the window for voter application may close soon, they are asking residents to act fast. Nagaraj Ramarao from J P Nagar 24th Main RWA, says, “We have told residents to hurry up and submit their documents by this week. Senior citizens are showing a lot of interest in enrolling — some say their voter IDs have gotten deleted. I filled out a form for a man who was born in 1949 but hasn’t voted yet!” he shares.

Ramarao, a social worker, is filling out new voter or correction forms on behalf of residents. “I filed 18-20 applications today,” he told Metrolife on Tuesday. He is also urging residents to check if their names are on the electoral list and to reapply if they aren’t.

Residents are mostly seeking help to change the address on their voter IDs. Padmashree Balaram, president of Koramangala 1st Block RWA, says a majority of the cases involve people who have moved to the locality from others parts of Bengaluru. “We are also working to update the address of our drivers and domestic workers who have shifted to the city from other parts of Karnataka,” she says. They have formed lane-wise WhatsApp groups to resolve voter issues.

Koramangala 6th Block RWA held a voter ID correction camp a few months ago. About 25 people had turned up. “Now, we are collecting information about two categories of citizens — those above 85 and those who are differently abled. We are co-ordinating with revenue officers to arrange home voting,” says president Neeraja Shetty.

Million Voter Rising (an umbrella group of civic groups from Mahadevapura) is still discussing their plans. Ajit Sequeira, a member, says they may repeat successful past initiatives. “We had mobilised youth to get residents of their apartments to vote, and organised competitions between apartments to see who votes the most,” he shares.

Bangalore Apartment’s Federation is mulling an open house with political candidates, says its president Vikram Rai.