Ahead of the upcoming Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections, Dese Gowda speaks to a cross-section of voters in the city to get a picture of the issues that concern them
Yashaswini J, corporate professional
Making tall promises is easy, but delivering those is what matters. Often it feels pointless to vote because you know that at the end of the day whatever you’re promised is going to take a long time to materialise, if at all it does. Parties should focus on issues that actually matter such as jobs and infrastructure, rather than indulging in vote bank politics. We should move away from the system of politicians buying votes and then profiting off it.
Hrishikesh MJ, student
Rather than promising a Uniform Civil Code, parties should be focusing on developmental issues. Bengaluru, from the outside, seems like a world-class city. It is only when people come here do they realise the sorry state of its infrastructure. I would like to see candidates focusing on solving issues such as traffic and pollution that are plaguing the city rather than caring about building statues.
Madhuri B, student
I’ll be choosing the NOTA option, because I don’t believe the candidates in my constituency are actually concerned about voters’ issues. While canvassing, they’re very approachable, but as soon as the results are announced, they are nowhere to be found, at least for regular people. The younger generation should seriously consider using NOTA to make a statement that the current system is not acceptable.
MD Pallavi, singer
Unfortunately, people have given up hope that any party will solve their problems. They just expect them to fix a few things like roads, water, electricity. Once the elections are over, if people are more proactive and hold their representatives to account, these manifestos will start making more sense. Any issue driven by hate will not help in making our lives better. People need to wake up and reject communal politics. Then these parties will start talking about actual welfare. An ideal candidate should work without communal agendas, address corruption, and focus on education, healthcare and employment.
Samith Sagaranahalli, advocate
Promotion of inclusivity, rollback of communally-charged policies, including exclusionary dress code in schools and colleges, removal of reservations for the Muslim community, and strong investment in public infrastructure – transport, education, and healthcare – should be the top priority for a newly-elected government. An ideal candidate recognises the seriousness of the threat of fascism the country is facing, and is willing to speak without fear. In the absence of such an ideal candidate, I will vote strategically to a party that will counter the fascist threat.
Rishita S, corporate professional
Candidates in my constituency have promised better roads, more parks, and better traffic management. I can only see if any of these promises will be fulfilled. I would like to see leaders take counsel from some of the sharpest minds in the state to get a better civic sense.