Voices of Gujarat: What Will Define the Election For Young Voters?

Jobs, education, or vikas – what will define the vote of young Gujaratis this Assembly elections?

To find out, The Quint travelled to the interior areas of the state, talking to scores of young voters.

Youngsters’ Vote: Jobs, Illegal Liquor or Vikas?

One of the most pressing concerns of the youth in Gujarat is the lack of employment opportunities in the state.

The government always promises to do away with unemployment, but they have taken no steps in this regard. The government will have to do something about unemployment among the youth in the near future.

24-year-old Usmaan Kazi

Education is also a major concern for young voters this year. Bothered by the expensive fees of most self-financed colleges and schools in the state, Krishna Patel, a 30-year-old social worker based out of Morbi, said, “Education has become too expensive. The number of government colleges and schools should be increased and they should be given incentives. Self-finance schools and colleges should have minimum fees.”

Illegal liquor trade is another issue that seems to be on young voters’ minds. “Everybody keeps saying there’s no illegal liquor trade in Gujarat, but wherever you go, you find illegal liquor. I want prohibition of liquor to be efficiently implemented so that students can concentrate on studies and not get distracted,” said 21-year-old student Devendra Jadeja.

Echoing similar concerns, 19-year-old Manali Patel said, “There are small villages in Surat where drinks are still sold illegally. The politicians don't even want to know about this. They themselves sell it during elections.”

One of the other issues that could define the vote of Gujarat’s young junta is the promise of vikas. “I don’t see any vikas happening around us. There’s no electricity, there’s a water problem. There’s a cleanliness issue here. They (the BJP) promised acche din, but we can’t see that anywhere,” said Umashankar Yadav, a 32-year-old paan seller in Ahmedabad.

Nearly 50 percent of Gujarat’s voters are under the age of 40. Can their vote, therefore, swing the elections?

Video Producer: Hansa Malhotra
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

(Voices of Gujarat: Tired of listening to netas make promises? As Gujarat goes to polls, The Quint wants to listen to the real voices of Gujarat – the voters. Tell us what issues matter to you this election season. Send in your videos to [e-mail] or WhatsApp @ [phone].