Upendra Unveils ‘The Real Prajakeeya’, Says Voters Must Stop Following Leaders and Start Leading Politics
Bengaluru: Kannada actor and political activist Upendra on Wednesday unveiled what he called “The Real Prajakeeya”, presenting it as a fresh, voter-driven political model aimed at shifting power from party leaders to ordinary citizens.
At a press meet in Bengaluru, Upendra said the new phase of Prajakeeya is not just another political announcement, but a structured system designed to make voters the real decision-makers. He clarified that the term “The Real Prajakeeya” should not be misunderstood as an admission that the earlier effort was unreal, but rather as an evolved and more practical version shaped by the challenges he has faced since launching the movement.
Recalling his political journey, Upendra said he had earlier explored alliances with other parties, but walked away when they were unwilling to accept his ideas in full. He then floated his own party and tried various methods to identify candidates, including interviews and manifesto-based selection. However, he said he realised that most candidates were speaking about what they wanted to offer, while not addressing what voters actually needed.
He then tried another approach, asking aspirants to collect signatures directly from the public. But that too became difficult to verify, as names, numbers and endorsements could not be properly authenticated. That experience, he said, pushed him to move toward a more transparent and technology-based model.
Upendra’s new model revolves around a digital platform where citizens can log in using their email credentials, raise issues from their own area, interact with aspirants, rate them, and hold them accountable. He said the platform is built on a simple but radical idea: “I am not a follower, I am the leader.”
ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರರಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ….
— Upendra (@nimmaupendra) April 1, 2026
Only For independents…..https://t.co/7nb75Dlvt4
( ಆಂಡ್ರಾಯ್ಡ್ ಮತ್ತು ಐಫೋನ್ ಆಪ್ ಸದ್ಯದಲ್ಲೇ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಿ …..
In Android and iPhone app soon…)
He sharply criticised two kinds of political attitudes — those who think nothing can change and those who blindly believe a leader will fix everything. According to him, neither mindset has a place in Prajakeeya. Instead, only citizens who are willing to take responsibility for their area, their state and their country should enter the system.
Explaining the concept, Upendra said citizens can log in, select their ward, village, town or constituency, and directly raise local issues such as jobs, health, education, roads and water. They can then connect with aspirants through video calls, social media live sessions, messages or even in-person meetings. The idea, he said, is to allow voters to test the eligibility and seriousness of candidates before elections, not after.
Aspirants, on the other hand, will have to declare upfront that the people who choose them are their real bosses. They must agree to a standard operating procedure and sign a commitment stating that they will work according to public demands. They can upload their profile, contact details, social media links, timings for interaction, and the constituency they wish to contest from.
Upendra said aspirants will be rated by voters through a transparent scoring system. Based on public interaction, people can mark them as poor, average, good, very good or excellent. Those receiving the highest public rating should ideally become the preferred candidates, while others should step aside in the larger interest of people-centric politics.
He also explained the post-election accountability mechanism built into the model. Once elected, a representative must stay connected with citizens, collect issues, prepare multiple plans with timelines and budgets, and place them before the public. The final plan should be chosen based on public approval, and the entire process should remain transparent through documentation and regular updates.
Every six months, citizens would be able to give their verdict on the performance of the representative. If more than 50 per cent of voters mark the person as unsatisfactory, the system would trigger a correction phase. If performance does not improve even after that, the representative would be expected to resign. Upendra admitted that “Right to Recall” does not currently exist in the Constitution in the form he wants, but said Prajakeeya will continue to campaign for such reforms until genuine public accountability becomes a reality.
He stressed that the movement is not about blind emotional politics, money power, rallies, speeches or protest for the sake of optics. Instead, he said, it is about building a system where citizens and representatives are directly connected, where issues come first, and where governance becomes measurable.
Calling it a practical revolution in politics, Upendra said any citizen can join the platform, raise issues, interact with candidates, rate them, or even become an aspirant. He expressed confidence that what looks difficult today can become a working democratic model if people genuinely participate.
With “The Real Prajakeeya,” Upendra has once again tried to position himself outside conventional party politics — this time with a sharper digital structure, a stronger accountability pitch, and a direct appeal to voters to stop waiting for heroes and start acting like owners of democracy.
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