Thursday, 21 March 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
First time voters in the State are now impatiently looking forward to the polling day-April 19- when they would exercise their franchise for the first time under the participatory democracy. They said that they are feeling thrilled as they are going to take part in the electoral process of the largest democracy in the world.
According to official data, around 1, 45,220 first time voters are expected to participate in this election in the State. Out of them, 79,796 are male voters, 56,415 female voters and nine identified as belonging to the transgender community. The district with the minimum number of first time voters is Champawat with the figure of 4,152 while Haridwar is the district with the maximum number 24,449 as first time voters.
Queried about their poll preference, they said that they would vote for those candidates who are honest and committed to the cause of the nation. They further said that it was now time to think inclusively in terms of the indivisible oneness of the nation rather than exclusively in terms of divisive groups based on caste, creed and clan.
A college student Khushi Butola, a first time voter, beamed when she was asked about her feeling as the poll day was drawing near. “I have already made up my mind. I will vote for the candidate who, if elected, will strive hard to bridge the fissures gaping in the society. Besides, women empowerment is an emotive issue for me. True, the State has seen substantial empowerment of women on the ground, but there are still many women whom empowerment has eluded. I am for an egalitarian society where there would be no discrimination among people on the basis of gender and caste and I hope that the person I will vote for will share this emotion and will try to shape into reality the dream I dream for my State and country,” she added.
Asked what his expectations are from this general election, Hemant Bhatt, a college student and first time voter, said that he was for a serious rethinking on the caste-based reservation system. “Of course, there was a time when such affirmative actions on the part of the State to uplift the downtrodden section of the society were required. But time has changed since then. We now need a level- playing field and a society founded on the ethos of equality. The people should churn as to whether it is high time now to do away with the divisive and quality-stifling reservation system. Though this is my expectation I am not much optimistic about this, given the political parties’ inclination to cling to the divisive poll calculations,” he added.
While speaking to The Pioneer on the upcoming Lok sabha election, an engineering student Vishwa Jena who is also a first time voter said that too much governmental obsession with temple building and infrastructural initiatives might take its focus off the paramount issue before the nation that is all-round development of the youth who will decide the destiny of future India. “The resources at the disposal of the government should be utilised for enhancing the education system and generating job opportunities so as to ensure that the youth are empowered to take India to dizzy heights of excellence,” he said and added that the upcoming government at the Centre should ruthlessly curb the spiral of crime now imperiling collective life.
