Bengaluru has set a new record! As of today, the city has been without an elected council for four years and four months, during which time the city has witnessed a drinking water crisis, flooding during rains, rise in illegal constructions and encroachment, mounting challenge of urban waste, crumbling public infrastructure among a litany of other problems. Would an elected body of representatives at the ground level have helped the city tackle these issues better? Why have successive governments dragged their feet over civic elections? For a discussion on this, we are joined by Srinivas Alavilli, a civic activist who has been working on local self governance and has empowered citizen participation through institutional mechanisms.