KOCHI: For many first-time voters, the local body election was an occasion to ‘celebrate’ their participation in the democratic process of electing representatives at the grassroots level. Hoping that their votes also matter, in bringing about a change, they posted selfies showing inked fingers on social networking platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.
Said 20-year-old Briyala Mary James of St Teresa’s College, “I am excited to be part of the LSG polls as a first-time voter,” adding that she was not sure whether the elected party would stick to their promises, though she still hopes that there might be some change this year.
Added Steffin Abraham, 19, of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology,” everybody complains about corruption and the failing system, but nobody does anything about it. Change can only be brought by our participation in voting. By casting vote, our role as citizens is fulfilled to a great extend. With the entry of various new parties, the results of this year’s election will be interesting.”
Muhammed Zaki Hashim, 21, of TocH, said his vote was equivalent to his opinion, and that by casting vote each voter had made their choice on which party they wanted to govern them. “Every single vote certainly matters,” he said, in between posting a selfie on Facebook.
Visibly excited after casting her first vote in the world’s largest democracy, Praseetha Mohanan, 21, of KMM College, Thrikakkara, said though she was not supporting or vouching for any party in particular, she hoped to see some change on the development front, to create jobs in the city.
Ashiq C M, 19, of R U College of Management and Technology, another first-time voter, believes that his vote will definitely make a difference. He also insists that the candidate for whom he vouched will surely come up with many developmental initiatives for society. “A man without a vote is a man without protection,” he said.
Aathira Balachandran, 19, of Atlantis International Academy, was skeptical about the entire election process as the promises made by most of parties, at the time of campaigning, are never get enacted on later.