Elections done. Now, time to work on promises

Representational image. Pic/iStock

The weekend was for celebrations; now we must see the victors get down to work and how, for the city.

Having won the Maharashtra mandate, it is time for our leaders to prove that the narrative, certainly well-founded, about politicians never keeping their word goes flying out of the window and netas will respect the people's wishes, fulfil aspirations and - most importantly - ensure citizens' problems are attended to.

Prior to the polls, people gave expression to a number of on-ground problems that needed fixing, from infrastructure to traffic woes. Being a state election, manifestos were brimming with issues like: reducing traffic problems and reducing noise pollution, heritage conservation, making more green spaces available to the public, Mumbai buildings and the big ‘R' redevelopment also featured prominently and so did the climate change factor. There were several people asking candidates and their parties to look at entitlement or a VIP culture amongst our leaders.

Now, with parties and candidates promising to do all they can to address these, even last-minute appeals were answered, we saw candidates waking up and meeting people, addressing problems, it is important that the city/state starts showing improvement on numerous fronts.

Let us see real change when it comes to the building problems in the city. If redevelopment is on, robust mechanisms are needed to ensure people get their homes in time. Local leaders must actively safeguard our spaces.

All this comes under one umbrella: act on your pre-poll promises and now, respect equals responsibility to the people.