With Delhi preparing to go to poll on May 12, several fist-time voters are gearing up to participate in the democratic process and they are visibly excited about casting their vote. At Delhi University, students spoke about several issues that they will be keeping in mind as they go to vote.
The Hindu visited Kamala Nehru College, Dyal Singh College and Daulat Ram College, the University of Delhi where students shared their opinions.
Anoushka Deb (19), Department of History at Kamala Nehru College is not very optimistic about the present-day politics. However, she is not in favour of NOTA, as it will mean the possibility of another round of election, which will entail heavy public expenditure.
Crucial landmark
She said, “These elections are a crucial landmark in history because they will determine the fate of the country.”
Although fond of writing, Madhurima Guha (19) did not take up the task of putting together a piece on voters’ awareness, as she was afraid of being called as an anti-national. She fears that stones may be thrown at her house as she is in favour of CPI(M).
“I would be casting my vote on the basis of how the leader wishes to transform the country in terms of employment,” said 19-year-old Preksha Kothari. She feels that this election is extremely important, as the last five years have seen many significant changes like the rise of fascist “ideologies”. Many of the students have been receiving calls on their mobiles from a particular political party, which is an “invasion of their privacy”.
Ananya Chaudhuri of the college, who hails from Guwahati, is not in favour of voting for the BJP. Her complaint is that a lot of people did not get their voter ID cards, while many others have discovered that their names have been deleted from the voter’s list. Another student named Pragya is also not in favour of the BJP coming back to power. She is of the opinion that neither the BJP nor the Congress will do any good for the country.
Being away from home, first-time voter Abhishek Kumar, 20, who hails from Uttar Pradesh is unable to cast his vote. A student of Dyal Singh College, he feels that for those away from home town should have proper arrangements allowing them to participate in the process. Nevertheless, he is very critical about the ruling party at the Centre. He is of the opinion that their policies are detrimental to the welfare of the nation.
“We need a government that does not hamper the social fabric of the nation. This was my first vote and it was a thrilling experience,” said Katyayinee Richhariya of Daulat Ram College. Himadri Gosain of the same college believes in unity in diversity. “I feel the upcoming government should focus on maintaining the integrity of our nation,” she said.
On the education and employment front, most of the students support the school education policy of AAP. All of them feel that other parties do not pay much attention to it.