THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The youth, they say, is the future. And with elections around the corner, what they say and do definitely counts. First-time voters in the city show a knack for being tech-savvy and better informed. They are also bolder in taking a stand against the family's established political leanings, while there are some others who are showing a reluctance to vote.
Express takes a look at the youth's interest in politics, their expectations about a leader, what they expect from the government and how eager are they to vote in the upcoming elections. Some of the youth we caught up with, said they were eagerly awaiting the elections. "Elections are good as it is a democratic process. Our election system is an extension of our freedom of expression. This is a very good opportunity. But it is sad that many youngsters are still keeping away from voting and are unaware of the democratic process,” said Anson P D Alexander, president, Kanal NGO.
There are other who opine that more youth should represent parties during the elections and this could bring a bigger change to society. Anandhu Gagarin, a student of College of Engineering, Trivandrum said,“ More young people should be given space to compete in the elections as they have the ability to leverage technology and contribute to the country's development.”
Anandhu says that no one who has attained the age of 18 years should refrain from voting. “A person who has attained the age of 18 years must vote. Being apolitical is a blunder,” he said.Many youths say they stay away from voting because they don't have the confidence to bring political parties or politicians to power, especially since corruption charges have become very common.
“The youngsters always look up to leaders who keep their promise and ensure development takes place. The election system is getting better but the youth still don't have faith in politicians. Although they don't have strong political ideologies, they tend to support leaders who can bring a change in society. Election is the platform where the youth can raise their voice,” said Renjith Ramachandaran, an IT employee.
Abhinand S J, a techie working in Allianz India says he has only voted once because he has lost trust in politicians or political parties. He said that leaders should participate largely in community matters and ensure development takes place at a proper place rather than becoming active when elections draw closer.
Some others are of an opinion that youngsters tend to treat elections the way they treat films. Most of the youth, who are yet to vote, still don't believe that voting is important which is why they have failed to vote so far.