First time voters would be watched out on the 20 seats which are going to the elections on Thursday in Rajasthan. There are total 16 lakh first time voters in the desert state out of which around 14 lakhs will exercise their franchise during the first phase of polling.
Rediff.com spoke to some of the first time voters in Jaipur on the eve of the elections to gauge their mood.
Yatendra Bhargava, a final year student of Bachelor in Technology at Japur’s Maharishi Arvind Institute of Engineering and Technology, will be casting his vote for the first time in a Lok Sabha election, although he has exercised his franchise in the recently held assembly polls.
The 22-year-old student, who takes a keen interest in political affairs, says, “I want development but at the same time I just can’t vote for any party on the basis of its face value. And I also know that corruption can’t be easily eradicated in India. So I would like to vote for a candidate who can do developmental work and also reduce corruption”.
He goes on to add, “But let me tell you, for me sincerity is a must in the leader seeking my vote. It is not like I am going to cast my vote to candidates making fake promises.”
So if Yatendra’s mantra is to choose a candidate who promises development, then Supriya K, a student of the same college, wants to vote for a candidate who is corruption-free.
“I want a powerful leader but I will definitely not compromise on corruption,” she says. “I know that corruption will not be eradicated immediately, but at least my candidate shouldn’t be corrupt,” she adds.
Just like Suprirya, Md Khaeel Behlim, a final year B. Com student, will be casting his vote for the first time. But Behlim, who hails from Rajasthan’s Churu district, thinks communalism is a bigger issue.
“For me, communalism is the main issue. I also want development and zero corruption but the candidate with a non-communal background will get my vote,” he says.
Image: (From left) Yatendra Bhargava, Supriya K and Md Khaeel Behlim