Bengaluru will vote based on issues and not the caste, religion and money power of candidates. At least so it was suggested at the Nanna Mataa Namma Hitha, a mock poll conducted by Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) here on Saturday.
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More than 300 people from various parts of the city, including Whitefield, Malleswaram, Koramangala and Indiranagar, gathered at Town Hall to participate in the mock election, organised with the dual aim of creating awareness on voting and informing political parties about the priorities of voters.
The polling process was divided into two parts — of asking voters what their votes would be based on and of representing six #Beku and #Beda issues. Ballot papers were used at the mock poll. “An overwhelming number of votes (296) went to Namma issues, indicating that voting will be based on them rather than the background of candidates,” said Srinivas Alavalli of the CfB.
In the second part, issues such as traffic, water, zoning, garbage, governance and citizen participation were taken up and voters were given options to choose from“As expected, a majority voted for public transport over flyovers, chose stopping commercialisation over pubs, and citizen participation over lack of transparency,” Mr. Alavalli said.
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There was creativity galore at the event, with its backdrop designed by architect Maya, who is also a CfB member. The set-up was made of recycled material and showcased the Vidhana Soudha.
Aruna Newton of I Change Indiranagar, who participated in the mock poll, said: “The best thing about the mock poll was the message it sent out. We were talking about issue-based politics as against politics based on people, caste and religion. It also highlighted that citizens were responsible for the choices they make.”