Deccan Herald 19.01.2010
| General apathy is the Gen-next response to BBMP polls | |
| Bangalore Jan 18, DHNS | |
‘Exposure of urban youth to the televised news may be the reason’ |
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The trendy young, who were screaming from the roof tops about the necessity to participate in the democratic process have been conspicuous by their absence in the lead-up to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections. While it may be simply down to the general apathy surrounding the elections after innumerable postponements and tribulations, it may well be an indicator of what our gen-next respond to. Those who have participated in campaigns to mobilise voter registration put the reasons down to the lack of information dissemination. Vijay Pamarathi, a veteran of voter registration drives, says that the exposure of urbane and cosmopolitan youth of the City to televised news may be the reason for the apathy. “A BBMP election will never find itself on the rash of national news channels we have. Further, the irregularity of the cycle of the BBMP election in addition to the differences in practices at the panchayat, taluk level and in other states contribute to low awareness amongst the young of the city,” he says. However, Irfan a young entrepreneur says that the youth cannot be simply defined as only those who speak English as their first language. “At the ward level, almost all campaigns are managed by the young. Particularly youngsters from a middle class and lower middle class background are extremely active and aware,” he says. Madan Mohan Kumar Priyanka Anirudh Shetty Siddarth S Abhilashini |
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