While the number of electors in the 14 assembly constituencies of Ludhiana has increased this time, the count of first-time voters has declined as compared to the 2017 assembly elections.
In 2017, there were a total of 24, 40,258 voters in Ludhiana, of which 42,257 were first-time voters. This year, Ludhiana has 26, 93,131 voters in all, of which only 36,096 are young voters.
Interestingly, figures show that the shrink in first-time voters is more prominent in rural seats than the urban ones. In Ludhiana East, Atam Nagar and Ludhiana North, which are among the urban seats, a slight rise has been witnessed in the number of first-time voters, but in Ludhiana South, Ludhiana Central and Ludhiana West seats, a dip has been registered. All rural seats, except Sahnewal, have recorded a dip in young voters.
Officials attribute this dip to the craze of settling abroad, which is more rampant among rural youth, especially those in the 18 to 19 age group.
A senior official in the Ludhiana administration said, “Every year, over 1.5 lakh youths from Punjab migrate to foreign countries either to settle or study. The trend is more common among the rural youth, who, after completing secondary education, prefer to move abroad.”
{{/usCountry}}A senior official in the Ludhiana administration said, “Every year, over 1.5 lakh youths from Punjab migrate to foreign countries either to settle or study. The trend is more common among the rural youth, who, after completing secondary education, prefer to move abroad.”
{{/usCountry}}He added that while 60% youngsters from Doaba area of Punjab apply to foreign universities, Ludhiana and Moga are the prominent hubs for immigration companies in Malwa.
On the mounting pendency of immigration files in the last two years, another official stated, “There is a pendency of around three lakh files of Punjab youth who desire to settle abroad. Most of these were received after the Covid outbreak and most are students. Since youngsters are moving abroad rampantly, the list of first-time voters here is shrinking.”
HS Garcha, who works as a branch manager at a prominent immigration consultancy company in Model Town Extension, said that most youngsters from rural areas plan to move to Canada, UK and Australia. “Mostly, these students approach us after completing Class 12. Since Australia has restricted migration for the past year, now students are heading to the UK and Canada for diploma or short-term courses. We do have many clients from urban areas but clientage is more from rural population. Interestingly, we have more female clients who wish to settle abroad,” said Garcha.
“Other than this, many students migrate to metro cities for higher education or jobs, further affecting the young voters tally here,” he added.