|
Want change, will vote,
says young Delhi
By
Azera Rahman
New
Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Delhi's youngsters are eagerly awaiting
the battle of the ballot in the Indian capital. Their vote,
they say, is a weapon they want to use to better their quality
of life.
Across
the city, young men and women say they will practice their
right to vote in the coming assembly elections.
Richa
Misra, a PhD scholar in Delhi University, steers away from
the rhetoric of 'my vote does not matter'.
“Of
course it matters. It's no point simply complaining about
the system if we don't exercise our right to choose our leaders.
I think youngsters should vote because only then can we see
development taking place,” said the 25-year-old resident of
Mayur Vihar in east Delhi.
According
to her, better education facilities and employment opportunities
were important. "Frankly, I don't care which party comes
to power as long as these are taken care of."
Delhi
will see balloting Nov 29, with a resurgent Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) determined to oust the 10-year Congress government
of Sheila Dikshit.
Of
Delhi's 10.7 million voters, nearly four million are in the
age group of 18 to 29. "We expect these people to come
out and vote," said Election Commission official Uday
Baxi.
Anjan
Katna, a resident of Rohini area who works in neighbouring
Gurgaon, also vowed to cast his vote.
“It's
my right to vote and I will. There are a number of issues
I would want my candidate to work on, first of them being
better roads. The roads are in a dilapidated condition. Social
security is another key issue. Ensuring better water supply
is important too. As of now we get water just once a day,”
Katna, 25, told IANS.
For
Abha Duggal, 26, a communications officer with a NGO, education
is the issue closest to her heart.
“I
want my candidate to improve the quality of government schools.
In our area most children don't go to school, a worrying trend
no one seems to be bothered about,” she said.
For
some like Mukesh Gupta, who works in an NGO, Bachpan Bachao
Andolan, it's not so much a will to vote that plagues the
youth but the lack of choice one faces while voting for a
candidate.
“Most
youngsters want change and they believe that voting could
be a way for that but the difficulty is in selecting a candidate
to vote for. All the politicians, no matter which party, seem
to be the same,” Gupta said.
He,
however, added that 'report cards' of the MLAs published by
newspapers, giving a snapshot of their record, is of great
help.
“I
will cast my vote not on the basis of the ideology of a party
but on the basis of a candidate's credentials.”
Jayshree
Karar, a PhD scholar of Delhi University who lives in Paschim
Vihar, however, said her vote will be more on the basis of
a political party than a candidate.
Misra,
who shared Karar's views, said: “I will vote on the basis
of a political party's stand on certain issues. For me, economy,
education and social issues are important.”
And
while a handful like 24-year-old Shyama Das said that they
will not vote because they don't think their vote will bring
about a change, others like 27-year-old Jattin Kapoor, now
in Bangkok, said he will not let go of this opportunity -
if he is in Delhi during the elections.
But
political analyst G.V.L. Narasimha Rao is not sure if political
parties are appealing to the youth.
"Look
at Barak Obama's campaign. He galvanised the young by connecting
with them. I don't see any party here doing that. Despite
all the frills, they fail to catch the youth's imagination.
The young are concerned about education and employment.
The agenda of the parties should enthuse and motivate the
youth."
Indo-Asian
News Service
Prabuddha
Bharata>>>
Vedanta
Kesari>>>
Vedanta
Mass Media>>>
|
