Worker carrying a sack wades through the waterlogged basement of a marriage hall following heavy rain, in Bengaluru.
KPCC President DK Shivakumar (R) and senior party leader Siddaramaiah (L) with Congress candidate Kusuma Ravi, wife of deceased IAS officer DK Ravi, for Rajarajeshwari Nagar consti...
Members of All India Mahila Samskrutika Sanghatane raise slogans during a protest against increasing alleged atrocities on women and demanded stringent punishment to the culprits i...
BJP candidate for Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency Munirathna Naidu being garlanded by party workers before filing nomination papers ahead of by-polls in Karnataka, in Bengaluru. ...
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, BJP State Unit President Nalin Kumat Kateel and others hand over the B-form to party candidate for Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency Munira...
JD(S) candidate for Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency Krishnamurthy along with former CM H D Kumaraswamy arrives to file nomination papers ahead of by-polls in Karnataka, in Bengal...
BJP candidate for Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency Munirathna Naidu along with Deputy CM CN Ashwath Narayan (L) files his nomination papers ahead of by-polls in Karnataka, in Beng...
Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy interacts with pre-University lecturers agitating over various demands including appointment orders which they have not recieved sinc...
A worker checks the seat of a theatre before its re-opening after authorities allowed to open cinema halls, in Bengaluru.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa being greeted by cabinet ministers B Sriramulu (L) and K Sudhakar(R) at his residence, in Bengaluru. During a Karnataka cabinet reshuffle, ...
Citizens wear face mask walks past a graffiti, made in the honour of Corona Warriors at Swami Vivekananda Metro Station in Bengaluru.
A health worker wearing a PPE kit collects a sample from a woman for the COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test, at a city market in Bengaluru.
Depositors of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank holding placards raise slogans during a protest, in Bengaluru.
CBI officials come out after a raid at the residence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar, in Bengaluru.
Congress party workers raise slogans during a protest against CBI raids at the residence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru. CBI is conducting raids on the premises of D...
CBI officials during a search at the residence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru.
CBI officials during a search at the residence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru. CBI is conducting raids on the premises of D K Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh. ...
People gather outside the residence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar as CBI raids the premises of Shivakumar and his brother MP D K Suresh, in Bengaluru.
Congress party workers raise slogans during a protest against CBI raids at the residence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru. CBI is conducting raids on the premises of D...
Congress party workers raise slogans during a protest against CBI raids at the residence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru. CBI is conducting raids on the premises of D...
Veena Ramanna writes in the Indian Express:
The urban educated class in India is beginning to show renewed interest in the political process. While there are some groups that have chosen to take a plunge into the political arena head on by contesting elections, several others are choosing to engage with the electoral process in different ways. In this election season, it is not just the political parties who are preparing to reach out to the masses. A host of other professionals are getting involved in their own ways to be part of the process.
She goes on to enumerate and describe the work of some of these groups. While some of these are well-known enough, it'd be useful to record them here for reference.
Association for Democratic Reforms: Founded in August 1, 1999 by a group of Professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad and National Institute of Design and some alumni of IIM to work towards strengthening democracy and governance in India by focusing on fair and transparent electoral processes. Its PIL filed in Dec 1999 culminated in a Supreme Court order on Mar 13, 2003 requiring disclosure of criminal, financial and educational background of all contesting candidates. Since then ADR has done Election Watches in almost all State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. For the current elections, there is a National Election Watch which has regularly been putting out press-releases on candidates with criminal records. These are revealing lists as they show the rot cutting across party lines. Click here for the latest list:
SmartVote.in is focusing on three constituencies in urban Bangalore
Mumbaivotes.com is focusing on six constituencies in Mumbai city
Jaago Re began as an effort to enable new voters to register. In its work over the past several weeks, JaagoRe has over four lakh people registered on its website from across the country.
Still cynical? Read Veena Ramanna's full article: It's Your Vote.
Please help us expand this database. Tell us about more such groups and your experiences with them.
