Pre-Election Political Awareness Campaign (PEPAC) in Bihar

Mirza Mashoor Baig, a social activist in Munger, Bihar, paints through these words the status of urban poor migrants in cities. Moving from the village to the city, they sell their assets, leave their families, sacrifice stability, to become part of the itinerant millions working in the informal sector.

The daily problems faced by the urban poor and the challenges they raise for urban governance are the issues PRIA is highlighting in its Pre-Election Political Awareness Campaign (PEPAC). As part of the campaign, a commissionerate level consultation was organised at Munger, Bihar on 26 February 2014. Participants included the deputy mayor of Munger, elected representatives of the urban local body, representatives from leading political parties, the JD (U) and RJD, and some locally active parties along with CSOs and media houses. The discussions revolved around the issues being faced by the towns under the commissionerate and what needs to done to address the needs of urban areas. The participants agreed on the importance of making urban issues a political agenda, thereby raising the demand for some political attention to these concerns in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.