Bengaluru techies unhappy as Aam Aadmi Party decides not to contest civic polls

BENGALURU: Several of Bengaluru's techies rallied behind the Aam Aadmi Party or AAP during the Lok Sabha elections last year. And, this time, they were hoping for some big action. Tech leader BBM POL Vinodh Kumar R, for instance, had told AAP that he will support financially if any of its candidates were to win the BBMP polls in the IT hub of Whitefield and Mahadevapura.

"I was willing to give up to Rs 15,000 for an AAP corporator every month because what a corporator earns as salary is low," said Kumar, a chief technology officer at a US technology firm. He was disappointed when the Arvind Kejriwal-led party decided not to contest the civic polls in a city which was considered the next destination for the young political party for the kind of response the party events witnessed here.

Scores of Bengalureans, especially from the IT pockets who reckoned AAP as a strong alternative, are now preparing to go out and vote with a question mark.

"The disappointment is la tent among my techie friends. I know a lot of BJP supporters who would have voted for AAP because everybody knows that neither the BJP nor the Congress can salvage the city any more," Kumar said.

To prepare ground for the BBMP polls, AAP launched the 'Bombat Bengaluru' campaign early this year, with volunteers hitting the streets to raise the pitch. The party has pulled the plug as it could not find the right candidates with little time on its side.

"I am highly disappointed. We don't even have the NOTA option. It's a dilemma," said Sunjaay Athanki, the managing director of a UK-based consultancy firm. "When I see the problems on my street, I knew that AAP had a golden chance. The way I see it, this is a lost chance."

For TELiBrahma CEO Suresh Narasimha, AAP had a spark of hope. "Unfortunately, the hope is now gone. I feel let down that the anti corruption movement has lost its sheen," he said.

Prithvi Reddy , an AAP national executive member in charge of Karnataka, conceded that there is disappointment. "Yes...especially techies, as they are the ones looking for alternate politics. The reality is that this election is a farce. Politics isn't about elections alone. We are burning the midnight oil to set a discourse. Our manifesto will be released on Tuesday ," Reddy said.

AAP has no national guidance, according to Public Affairs Centre founder Samuel Paul. " AAP is lost in the wilderness, except in Delhi. The fight is now among the two big parties. The third choice is no longer relevant."