Bengaluru: After spending decades listening to politicians’ tall promises, Shanthi, who lost her home during the Ejipura eviction drive, has decided to seek something more concrete during this BBMP election.
She decided to ask for written assurances from poll candidates and is also creating awareness among her neighbours who share the footpath with her. “You will not vote to anyone this year without asking me. Do you understand? What has the corporator or the MLA done for us?” she warns her neighbour Jyoti, while telling us that her ‘Sangha’ is teaching people to demand for their rights.
“Every time political parties come for campaigning they throw some clothes and rice bags at us. We are poor. We take money from all the parties that give us money and assure to vote for them. And we are not guilty. We will continue to vote only for the people who will prove they are going to work for us,” she said.
“We unanimously decided not to vote for Congress last election as they only make promises, but do not keep up their words. We had decided we don’t need Congress anymore,” said Jyoti, who was a voter in Shanthinagar constituency, but has now become a voter in BTM constituency due to the relocation.
A few yards away, M. Mani, a resident of Dr Ambedkar Nagar attached to the Ejipura slum, vouches by the Congress party presence in the area. “Our MLA (Ramalinga Reddy) visits our ward regularly and is responsive to our demands. We all discuss the works that were promised to us and delivered, and based on what we need next we decide to whom we should vote. Now that Mr Reddy is also a minister, we are sure our demand for houses in the EWS quarters will be fulfilled,” he said.
The Ejipura slum alone houses nearly 10,000 voters, who seem to be loyal to the ruling party, though they have not got permanent residences as assured by the government. Despite living in rented houses under poor conditions, the slum-dwellers have not lost hope that they will suitably rehabilitated some day. And their loyalty doesn’t go unnoticed.
“A week before every election we get 20 kg rice, clothes for men and women and alcohol. Earlier, we used to get money even for local elections, but now they have stopped that. Even if they don’t, our votes are still with Congress,” Mani said.
During elections political parties pull no stops to woo slum dwellers, as they offer a mass voter base, but they do little to improve their living conditions once they come to power.
Fictitious names in electoral rolls: Ex-MLA
Former MLA Nandish Reddy has alleged that K.R. Puram Congress MLA Byrati Basavaraj was making efforts to include false and fictitious names into the electoral roll. Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that joint commissioner Umanand Rai and deputy commissioner Mallikharjunaiah were locked up in their office and demanded deletion of the false names from electoral roll.
He said that over 12,000 applications without valid proof were found at the KR Puram BBMP office. Efforts were made to provide voter id for people residing in Kolar, Mulabagilu and other areas. As per the norm, an individual should reside for a minimum of six months in an area to be eligible for applying for Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC). But people who have stayed for three months are also being considered. No house to house verification has been done, Reddy alleged.
A police complaint has been registered demanding to seize these applications and to verify the validity. Meanwhile, Rai is assuring to delete fictitious names from the electoral after doing proper mahajar, Reddy said.
