“I want a government at the Centre that will crack down on all types of attacks against women,” says Hanan Hamid. The 22-year-old had turned an overnight sensation after a picture of her in college uniform selling fish at Thammanam, near here, went viral last year. She had to later face vicious trolling after a section in the social media termed her story as ‘fake’. As a first-time voter, the final year B.Sc. Chemistry student, fears that she may be subjected to cyberbullying again if she reveals her political position or speaks in support of a political party.

I would prefer a government that gives top priority to safety of women. We want a legal and administrative system that will prevent increasing attacks against women. A strong government will be able to instil fear in people trying to throw acid on a woman or setting a girl on fire for turning down a love proposal. The next government should roll out immediate measures to curb the prices of petrol and diesel. The common man cannot afford any more increase in fuel prices. As a girl trying to make a living by selling fish, I request the government to support young entrepreneurs like me by offering loans.

Youngsters like me are confused when asked whether we will enter politics. Take the case of M. Abhimanyu. He was an undergraduate student like me. He was killed brutally on the Maharaja’s College campus. Ultimately, his parents lost their son. This fear of getting killed or hurt for supporting an ideology or a party remains. I would like to stand independent, without getting affiliated to any particular political party, and continue to air my own views in the public domain.

I don’t think that improving the representation of women alone will help in resolving the issues faced by the women in the country. Interestingly, they will also be bound by the policies and positions adopted by political parties they represent. We need visionaries, irrespective of their gender who can address women’s issues effectively.

Even though laws exist, the offenders often go sco-tfree by exploiting the loopholes. Not all women will take a legal recourse fearing public scrutiny. I feel the laws should be amended in such a way that the violators get stringent punishment.