BMC polls: Most unaware of candidates from their wards, finds survey

The survey shows close to 25% were not even aware of the tenure of a municipal councillor, while an even smaller number were aware of the roles and duties of the municipal councillor

Close to 45% citizens are not aware of the candidates contesting for the 2017 municipal elections in their respective wards, whereas 30% of them don’t even know which ward they belong to, according to a survey of more than 5,000 families conducted by students of RD & SH National College in Bandra.

The survey shows close to 25% were not even aware of the tenure of a municipal councillor, while an even smaller number were aware of the roles and duties of the municipal councillor.

“The survey reflects the mindset of many citizens, who still don’t take their right to vote seriously,” said Kamu Masand, professor and one of those in charge of this survey. “Through this survey, we aim to spread awareness about voting rights among citizens and our students who are first-time voters this year.”

Around 900 first-year degree college students from various departments of the institute, including BCom, BA, Biotechnology, BMM, participated in this survey and reached out to 10 families each, taking the total count to 9,000 families in Mumbai. By Monday night, responses of 5,000 of these were tabulated by the institute.

This survey is part of the institute’s Community Awareness & Assessment Survey Program (CAASP), where in students are encouraged to involve themselves in a social cause and spread awareness about it in society.

CAASP was introduced by the institute in 2009-10 with various topics, including save natural resources, energy and water, being chosen for awareness programmes.

“Through these surveys, we are creating conscious and aware citizens of our country, who will be more responsible about their rights than the previous generation,” said Ravi Rameshchandra, another professor.

The institute is yet to decide on whether they will share the final survey results with the state government.

BMC polls: Want to vote? Make sure you check your name on the voters’ list. HT tells you how