With their ilk in fray, IT pros make beeline for poll booths

Call it the Nilekani or Bala effect. Or for that matter, the Aam Aadmi Party’s impassioned call for routing the corrupt and ringing in a change for better governance.

Every which way, one of City’s much envied class – the software professionals – believed to cock a snook at such democractic demands on their luxurious time, could not be impervious to the tide of things sweeping the nation. 

That two of their own, much-revered ilk, former Infoscians V Balakrishnan and Nandan Nilekani were testing the political storm waters, seemed reason enough for the fraternity, not necessarily from Infosys alone, but those people in the surrounding IT acropolis, to stir out of their homes in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

Despite virtually an inviting line-up of holidays to escape from the hustle and bustle of the City to destress from the rigours of their demanding work schedules, the software professionals were there, queued up with eligible voters from the family, to ink their thumbs and have their say in the fortunes of the next government at the Centre.

From Koramangala, BTM Layout, HSR Layout, Sarjapur Road and Bellandur, the plush residential areas which are home to some of the major IT firms as also apartments that house their staff, saw many up and early at the booths to do their bit to possibly usher in a new era at the Centre. 

According to Nagendra Singh Tomar, IT professional residing in one of the apartments on Outer Ring Road, many software professionals made it a point to dutifully locate their polling booths to cast their votes.  

“There was a polling booth for every 100 meters on Outer Ring Road around Bellandur area. So we could actually see many IT people, not local crowd walking towards the polling booths.  It could be the Aam Aadmi Party effect, which has many techie supporters that made an impact on the voting turnout too,” he added.

Reason for large turnout

Vinutha Jagadeesh, an Infocian, attributed the increase in turnout to IT professionals being in fray.

Giving truism to her observation, Spring Fields Apartment, on Sarjapur Road, with more than 550 apartments and 80 per cent software professionals living in the apartment complex, turned up en masse to vote.  

Further, thanks to the initiative of Archana Anand, a resident, who enrolled apartment dwellers, “air-conditioned buses were arranged to polling station by apartment associations which, too resulted in increase in the poll percentage. Of the 800 odd enrolled, more than 500 voters boarded the bus which ferried them three km to the polling booth.”