Mumbai, Jan 13: As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections draw near, a wave of resentment is surging through the residential pockets of Wards 172, 177 and 178, including Sion (E), Matunga (E) and Wadala.
Citizens in these areas have accused their prospective representatives of “political cowardice”, alleging that candidates are deliberately avoiding direct engagement with educated voters.
Citizens’ questionnaire meets silence
The friction stems from a citizen-led initiative in which residents and members of the F-North Ward Citizens’ Federation, Petition Group Foundation and Hindu Colony Residents’ Association drafted a comprehensive questionnaire designed to test the candidates’ merit, technical knowledge of urban issues, and specific plans for the wards. According to the group, the response from all nine candidates has been a resounding silence.
Candidates avoid direct interaction
Residents alleged that while candidates are visible during loud rallies and padyatras, they vanish the moment they are asked to sit down for a Q&A session.
They added that while a few candidates initially agreed to speak with citizens at a ‘Meet Your Candidate’ event, they discontinued conversations immediately after being asked to respond to the questionnaire.
Details sought from candidates
According to the residents, the six-page-long questionnaire involved questions about the candidates’ achievements, important issues in the ward, their vision to solve these issues and other commitments. It also asked candidates to share details of their qualifications, criminal history, profession and income.
Allegations of selective outreach
Residents alleged that candidates have been targeting “soft audiences” and areas where they can distribute doles, rather than facing “aware and educated” citizens who demand accountability. Residents of these wards said they want to shift the election narrative from party loyalty to individual merit.
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Chetan Trivedi, a member of Petition Group, said, “The candidates did not confirm their time for the meeting when we requested them to fill the questionnaire because they wanted a scripted talk. Ultimately, none of them accepted the request for public interaction.”
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