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On, OoruLabs, India's premier urban issues podcast, Sathya Sankaran, Host of the podcast speaks with Srikanth Narasimhan of Bengaluru Navanirmana Party about how despite knowing cities can be made or broken by municipal government, national politics lives rent free in our heads. How do we fix this? 

The conversation focuses on the importance of local governance and citizen participation in improving the state of cities like Bengaluru. The speaker emphasizes that municipal governments, comprising elected corporators, have the power to decide the fate of the city and allocate budgets for civic infrastructure. However, misgovernance occurs due to a lack of citizen involvement, corruption, and lack of accountability. The speaker highlights the need for citizens to participate in the governance process, hold officials accountable, and ensure transparency. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced in holding municipal elections and the potential benefits of splitting the BBMP into multiple corporations. The speaker discusses the need for startup parties like Bengaluru Navanirmana Party (BNP) to bring about change and improve the quality of civic amenities and infrastructure.

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Keywords

local governance, citizen participation, municipal government, corporators, misgovernance, corruption, accountability, transparency, municipal elections, BBMP, Bengaluru Navanirmana Party, civic amenities, infrastructure

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Takeaways

Municipal governments, comprising elected corporators, have the power to decide the fate of the city and allocate budgets for civic infrastructure.

Misgovernance occurs due to a lack of citizen involvement, corruption, and lack of accountability.

Citizens need to participate in the governance process, hold officials accountable, and ensure transparency for good governance.

Challenges exist in holding municipal elections, but they are essential for citizen representation and decision-making.

Splitting the BBMP into multiple corporations may have potential benefits, but citizen participation, accountability, and transparency are key for good governance.

Startup parties like Bengaluru Navanirmana Party (BNP) can bring about change and improve the quality of civic amenities and infrastructure.

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Sound Bites

"The value of a 17 year old girl's life in the city is the amount of money that is to be paid to the MLA to get a project done."

"Citizen participation, accountability, and transparency are the key aspects of good governance."

"The issue is not whether the corporation has to be tricercated, bifurcated, or split into five or ten. The issue is citizen participation, accountability, and transparency."

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Chapters

00:00 The Power of Municipal Governments and Elected Corporators

06:44 The Role of Citizen Participation in Good Governance

12:01 Challenges in Holding Municipal Elections

25:05 The Need for Startup Parties to Bring About Change

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Stock video and picture credits to various contributors. All rights belong to respective owners.

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