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Karnataka assembly elections: Better roads, safer streets. What Bengaluru's first time voters consider?
According to the Election Commission, there are 9.17 lakhs first time voters in Karnataka who are set to vote on Wednesday.
Karnataka is gearing up for the assembly polls on Wednesday and the southern state is considered as a politically crucial state for both Congress and the BJP, ahead of the general elections in 2024. The regional party, JD(S), is also trying to prove its mettle and for the first time, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also fielded its candidates on this assembly polls. If there is one section of voters which has become the aim of all political parties, that is the ‘first time voters’ section in Karnataka as the young voters are expected to play a key role in winning the mandate.
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According to the Election Commission, there are 9.17 lakhs first time voters in Karnataka and over 1.25 lakhs people who were above 17 have applied through the Advance Application Facility. A total of 41,000 applicants turned 18 by April 1 and they will be eligible to vote in the assembly elections.
Speaking with the Hindustan Times, a set of first-time voters said what they are going to consider before exercising their franchise. Sushmita SS, a civil services aspirant from Bengaluru said, “To my understanding, voting for the first time is an important event as the next five years are going to be a prominent time in my career and I must choose my leader wisely. Good roads and quality sanitation work are my primary concerns as I am an everyday commuter in this city. Then comes the employment opportunities and safety issues. These are the top things that are in my mind, before choosing my leader.”
The rising inflation and economic activities too get the focus of the young voters in Karnataka. Sahana Ashwant, another student in Bengaluru said, “After the pandemic, the prices of everything have gone up and it demands a decent earning. The middle class is facing the dent and policy makers must fix the inflation rate. Though the manifestos always promise plenty of economic activities, the inflation rate is hardly controlled, no matter which government is in power.”
Bengaluru’s infamous traffic snarls issue too is the topic of consideration for young voters. Chetan Gowda, an IT employee who travels from Bengaluru’s Varthur to Mahedevapura for work every day told, “The frustration of getting stuck in a bumper-to-bumper traffic everyday post work is real. I do not understand why no government has taken the issue seriously as it consumes a lot of valuable time and ends up reducing productivity. We cannot simply call urbanization a development by not solving the traffic issues. We need strict laws on those who violate the traffic rules as they are the major reason for most of the jams in Bengaluru. The VIP culture in the peak traffic must be controlled too.”
Another IT employee Sandeep Kumar, who is also a first-time voter, said, “The problem with most of the political party manifestos is that they primarily focus on the freebies, which ultimately force the governments not to invest in quality public transport. Better roads, cleaner streets, safer public places and stringent traffic rules are the bare minimum that we taxpayers deserve. but these are never considered as primary issues by the parties. So, there is no option left other than looking for the best, rather than choosing the best before voting for the first time.”
There are 28 constituencies in Bengaluru and EC has already declared a holiday on Wednesday. It also urged the young voters to step out and use their democratic right as it is expecting a higher polling percentage this time in the tech capital.
