Development, jobs on their mind

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 19

Jobs, education, governance, development, the discourse around nationalism, women and LGBTQ rights formed the major issues that were on the minds of young voters as they voted for the first time today.

“My main issue as a 22-year-old is about employment and the fact that the government fails to provide job opportunities. Next, I’d say as a woman, my gender has heavily influenced my life. More laws for women that further empower us are required,” says Kavya Sharma, a student.

Sukhmani Virk, a doctor, says the job opportunities for doctors in the country are limited and so are the seats for medical students.

“I want to vote for someone who will contribute towards improving government hospitals and gives opportunities to doctors in rural areas,” she adds. Like Kavya, other women too echo the same sentiment when it comes to women safety.

Says Manraj Singh Walia, a 20-year-old student, “This election for me is not about selecting the next Prime Minister of India, it is about removing the existing one”.

“Instead of focusing on issues of religion, nationalism, cow protection, or Pakistan, we need to put our national resources towards promoting social equality, technological innovation and economic growth,” adds Walia.

For several young voters, development — both of the city and the country — was a major consideration while voting.

“The lack of proper utilisation of allocated funds, red tape and lack of transparency are the major issues that I considered while voting,” says Sukhman Gill, a 22-year-old student.

“A large amount of funds allocated by the Centre are left unspent and even after three years of being declared a smart city, I don’t see anything smart here. The slums are still there as they used to be and I don’t see any trace of the so called PMAY “housing for all” scheme,” added Gill.

For 22-year-old Priyanka Kumari, the development work and the facilities provided by the government should improve. “Everything is better than before under the Modi government, so I would want the good work to continue,” she adds.

According to 18-year-old Manvi Oberoi, the main agenda while deciding who to vote for were the rights of the LGBTQ. “The government needs to alter laws so that society becomes more accommodative of the LGBTQ community,” she adds.