Bangalore, May 9, 2013:
Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), has expressed the hope that the new government in Karnataka will expedite B.PAC’s Agenda for Bangalore (AfB), following the Karnataka assembly elections which delivered a decisive victory for the Congress.
For the just concluded Karnataka assembly elections, B.PAC endorsed 14 candidates from across the political spectrum including contestants from the Indian National Congress, BJP, Lok Satta, JD (S), KJP. Of these, five B.PAC-endorsed candidates won seats in their constituencies as per the results declared yesterday. All the candidates endorsed by B.PAC had previously expressed their full support of the Agenda for Bangalore (AfB) – a six-point strategy by B.PAC to build a better city. In response to B.PAC’s request, each of the candidates had also outlined specific measures they will take to tackle crime, improve roads, manage waste better, provide drinking water and address other civic issues in their constituencies.
“We are happy to see a clear mandate in favour of the new incumbents and look forward to working with them to catalyse a positive change in the political system in Bangalore. We congratulate the five BPAC-endorsed candidates who won and will work with them to ensure BPAC’s Program for Bangalore is up front and centre of their programmes,” said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, President, B.PAC.
The six-point agenda that B.PAC has laid out to restore the lost glory of Bangalore include: ensuring a proper governance structure for the city; promoting citizen inclusion in governance; strengthening finances of local bodies and civic agencies; ensuring accountability of civic agencies; developing strong infrastructure; and, strengthening the foundation of urban politics.
“We are hopeful the new political leadership will bring about a positive change for Bangalore in particular and Karnataka state at large. It is heartening to note that besides the five B.PAC-endorsed candidates who won, the remaining nine candidates, including first-time contestants, featured either among the top three or top five, in their constituencies. We look at it as a critical step in ensuring the right candidates get the chance to influence the future direction of our city,” said Mohandas Pai, Vice President, B.PAC.
Besides endorsing and providing financial support to candidates, B.PAC has also run various initiatives such as the voter registration campaigns along with Smart Vote in various corporate campuses, colleges and Resident Welfare Associations. This, coupled with initiatives from other organisations has resulted in more than 600,000 fresh voters registering in the space of last few months.
