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
