As Delhi went to vote, the town’s younger and stressed – armed with data they gathered from YouTube movies, the three manifestos, and steering from mother and father – confirmed as much as vote, many for the primary time ever. The variety of first-time voters, between the ages of 18 and 19 years, revealed within the remaining electoral roll draft as of Jan 6, 2025, is 2,08,302. The identical quantity was 1,47,074 throughout the Lok Sabha elections held in Could 2024.
First-time voter Srishti Singh in Dwarka on Wednesday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Picture)
After casting their first vote, many spoke in regards to the want for enchancment in Delhi’s infrastructure, higher faculties, and extra employment alternatives as they step into the longer term.
Exterior a polling sales space in Lajpat Nagar, Nitya Bhatia, a 22-year-old pupil of Indraprastha College, stated she went by means of the manifestos of the Aam Aadmi Get together (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) and Congress, and adopted their campaigns for weeks in a bid to determine who she’s going to vote for. “I was very excited about voting, it’s my first. I based my decision on the schemes that parties promised for students – from free bus and metro rides to what they will do in the field of education. I was nervous when I first stepped in, but I had watched enough videos on YouTube on the voting process, so I was fine,” she stated.
For 18-year-old Nazmeen, an 18-year-old resident of Kardampuri in northeast Delhi, too, enchancment in academic establishments was a main purpose to step out and solid her vote for the primary time. “Education is integral to us, for our growth… I want the next government to improve the education sector even more.”
Clear Delhi, in the meantime, was on high of Soumya Kumari’s precedence checklist. The 18-year-old first-time voter from Rithala, stated, “There’s so much garbage outside schools, and on the streets. I hope the person who wins from my constituency will work on this issue. Another big issue for me is women safety.”
For 18-year-old Siya Valhara, a first-time voter from Neb Sarai, discovering a job after she finishes her B.Tech diploma is most necessary. “I am concerned about the increasing unemployment. I have seen my elder cousins struggle… I am scared to grow up with a sense of insecurity about the future,” she stated.
Merin Vincent, a 22-year-old resident of Govindpuri and first-time voter, echoed Valhara’s considerations. “I hope the next elected government works towards unemployment. I’m pursuing my master’s degree, and I hope to get a job soon.”
Valhara stated that other than employment, she is anxious about water scarcity in her space. “Summer is almost here, and the water supply will again become irregular and unreliable. The next government should take this seriously,” she stated.
For 18-year-old Pranav Anand, 18 in Chhatarpur, the civic mess within the metropolis is a explanation for deep frustration that has additionally helped him determine his vote. “All roads in our area are dug up. The sewage lines are a mess. How can one live like this? I want the new government to focus on infrastructural development of Delhi,” he stated.
Exterior a sales space in Badli, 24-year-old Soni Kumar – decked up in a brand new sari, make up and jewelry, was thrilled to have voted for the primary time in Delhi. From Darbhanga in Bihar, Kumar moved to Delhi 4 years in the past after she bought married and shifted her vote to the Capital too. She stated, “I wanted to look beautiful so wearing because this is my first vote here… I woke up early, took a bath, went to a Hanuman temple nearby and then came here to vote. I am glad that electricity is free in Delhi, but the water bills are very high and the sewers are overflowing,” stated Kumar.
20-year-old Madiha, who’s pursuing commencement from open college, walked out of a polling sales space in Jafrabad joyous and hopeful after she solid her first ever vote. “I saw the EVMs for the first time. I hope the new leaders are as excited for the city as I was to vote,” she stated.