Discussion stresses greater youth role in Bengaluru’s governance
With the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections in focus, speakers at a discussion on Saturday stressed the need for greater youth participation in civic governance, arguing that local elections would be crucial for improving accountability in the city.
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you've access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Need help with your subscription?
Published - July 12, 2026 12:09 am IST - Bengaluru:
With the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections in focus, speakers at a discussion on Saturday stressed the need for greater youth participation in civic governance, arguing that local elections would be crucial for improving accountability in the city.
The discussion, titled ‘Do Bengaluru’s young leaders have hope for this city?,’ was organised by the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) and Janaagraha as part of The Bengaluru Debates series. The panel focused on whether Bengaluru’s youth are disengaged from civic life, what would encourage greater participation in governance, and whether citizen-led initiatives can bring about meaningful change.
The panel featured Sarthak Sidhant, a student and civic technology enthusiast, Rishvanjas Raghavan, founder of BNP NavaYuva and Governing Council member of the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party, Vibha Nadig, founder and director of Outlawed India and Koushik Dhayal, treasurer of Youth for Parivarthan. The discussion was moderated by Janaagraha Chief Executive Officer Srikanth Viswanathan.
Panelists said Bengaluru’s governance continues to be fragmented, with multiple agencies responsible for civic services, often leaving residents unsure about where accountability lies. They argued that the absence of elected local representatives has weakened citizens’ ability to seek answers on issues affecting their neighbourhoods, making the upcoming GBA elections an important opportunity to strengthen local governance.
Speakers noted that though Bengaluru’s civic challenges are widely recognised, the larger challenge is encouraging more young people to move beyond identifying problems and participate directly in governance and decision-making.
Mr. Raghavan said Bengaluru did not lack ideas or solutions, but needed more people with civic knowledge to participate in governance, while Mr. Sidhant said technology and open data could improve transparency only when citizens continued engaging with public institutions.
Published - July 12, 2026 12:09 am IST
Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
