HYDERABAD: What do millennials, those who will be voting for the first time, want from the new government? The 6 lakh-strong community of first-time voters will not just be going through the motions to upload pictures of their inked finger. Many of them really want to make an impact. Futuristic policies, better job opportunities, social support schemes for the middle-class... their list of expectations is endless.
“I expect the government to do better on the job front. There are so many youngsters in our area who are unable to get decent jobs. So for me, that would be the priority,” says Aditya Bharadwaj K, a 20-year-old first-time voter. Not just Aditya, better employment opportunities ranked as the biggest concern among several first-time voters Express caught up with.
Many youngsters are also very concerned about their civic issues. “I stay at Serilingampally and here the condition of roads in residential pockets is very bad. Last 4 years they worked on the main roads, now they must focus on the internal roads and also on the water supply, which is so expensive yet erratic,” says Pandurang Katkar (20).
Twenty-one-year-old Kimaya Sahasrabuddhe from Barkatpura feels a “new party” should get a shot at the government. “That’s because even small things like installing street lights and cleaning roads takes 2-3 weeks of complaining by residents,” she says. “Proper lighting is a basic requisite for women’s safety. So, I want my next government to be sensitive to these needs.”
Others, who migrated to Hyderabad for jobs, want to see changes back at home, in their native districts. “I couldn’t get a new voter-ID here and my name might not be in the rolls back home, but I am hoping that the new government will put an end to the fluorosis problem that has been plaguing my home district Nalgonda,” says Sandeep Mogilicharla.
Pollsters feel it’s important to tap the young voters to improve turnout. “It makes them feel like they belong with the system. It can also give them a sense of entering a new phase in life, where they can make their own decisions,” says Raghavendra Sarma of Let’s Vote.
Young voters improve turnout?
Pollsters feel it’s important to tap the young voters to improve turnout. “It makes them feel like they belong with the system. It can also give them a sense of entering a new phase in life, where they can make their own decisions,” says Raghavendra Sarma of Let’s Vote