Q&A to separate wheat from chaff

Q&A to separate wheat from chaff
Ulsoor Residents Meet Candidates In Search Of The Deserving Leader
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Who is the right candidate? How does one make the correct choice? A debate was organised at an interactive session between the candidates contesting from Ulsoor ward No. 90 and members of Annaswamy St John’s Osborne and Tank Road (ASOT) Residents’ Welfare Association, on Sunday.
ASOT president V Purushotham said: “We formed the association to bring in transparency in the delivery system as well as create a platform for the public to voice their concern. At present, 736 members have registered with ASOT. Since our members expressed concern over selecting the right candidate, we have organised the interactive session. Our objective is to select a proactive, approachable, non-corrupt candidate.”
The candidates are from diverse backgrounds — student, housewife, businessman and social worker. The highest qualified among the candidates contesting the election is a BJP candidate, a second-year BCom dropout, the JD(S) candidate is Class 9 pass and the Congress candidate has passed SSLC.
Some questions posed by ASOT members were tricky: “The monthly salary of a corporator is Rs 1,500. How will you manage with this meagre salary?’’ A majority of candidates said they were not dependent on this salary and would manage with their current earnings. BJP candidate M Chandrashekar said, “Sufficient funds are allocated by BBMP for development work. I have my own LPG distribution business. So money will not be a constraint.” An Independent candidate, a diploma student, said: “I will enrol into part-time jobs like stage shows and also continue working with a domestic call centre.”
ON PAST AND FUTURE
What are your contributions to society in the past five years, the ASOT members asked. Most of them spoke about conducting medical camps, distribution of books, clothes, ration cards, widow and old age pension, birth and death certificate distribution etc. Independent candidate Chitra Kalavathi said: “I have played a vital role in the construction of a temple in Ulsoor.” What is their vision for the next five years? Garbage disposal, adequate water supply, construction of roads and maintenance of Ulsoor lake, were some of the main issues on their agenda.
On maintenance of the lake, the candidates suggested enrolling private agencies. For garbage disposal and streetlights, the BJP candidate thought that a fixed time for collection of garbage, and solar streetlights in the area, should help. However, all candidates assured the residents that they would work for the development of the ward.