As the city wakes up to civic polls after eight years, four months and 17 days, citizens are keen to usher in change for the better.
They have already woken up. Anitha Shankar, a student of St Ann's Degree College and a resident of Murugeshpalya, is all excited about casting her vote for the first time, as the deadline for BBMP polls ends today. She has her voter ID card ready and knows where exactly the polling booth is located. "My priority for the day is casting the vote," she says.
Anitha has struck a bargain with her classmates. A day after the polls, they plan to check one another's index fingers, and non-voters would be taken to task, in the true spirit of democracy.
And this college student is not alone. As the city wakes up to civic polls after eight years, four months and 17 days (the last elections were held on November 11, 2001), many citizens are determined to usher in change for the better.
For Meenakshi Sheshadri, better half of Congress leader Krishna Byre Gowda, every election is a celebration. "As we observe Independence Day or Republic Day, Voting Day, too, should be celebrated in a democracy," she says. Meenakshi wants to cast her vote as early as possible in the day. She feels 'lucky' to have the opportunity to do so. "For me voting is a sacred duty,” she says.
Many eminent sons and daughters of Bangalore are planning to be early birds on the poll day. NR Narayana Murthy, chairman and chief mentor of Infosys, is keen to vote as soon as the polling booth in Jayanagar 4th block comes alive at 7 am.
As former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa puts it, choosing a good candidate to represent the ward, will go a long way in bringing in a positive change to one’s neighbourhood. “To bring in any such change, however, the first step is to come out and vote. As a voter, I feel the burden of responsibility,” says Nachappa. NP Kiran Kumar, a call centre cab driver, says he will offer free rides to at least five of his friends to the polling booths. “Many of my friends don’t wish to exercise their franchise even though they are registered voters. They make use of voter IDs as proof to get many amenities but abstain from voting. So I will try my level best to make them vote,” he said. So, Bangaloreans, today is your day. Come out, and get counted.
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