First-time voters want better health services, women safety

Dehradun: Young, first-time voters in Uttarakhand say that they would like to vote for any candidate who can provide better health services, good infrastructure, and ensure the safety of women. The state has been putting a lot of focus on ensuring that young voters register themselves for the upcoming elections. Till January 10, over 1.58 lakh new voters had registered in the state, of which 88,394 were male and 69,614 were female.
“We are encouraging all youngsters to register themselves and take part in the election process. Our teams have worked hard to ensure maximum registration of not just the first-time voters but everyone else who is eligible,” said chief electoral officer Sowjanya, who goes by their first name only.
Many youngsters in the state capital say that development work, especially in the health care sector, will determine who they cast their vote for. “If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is that health care services have to be a priority. I am not very happy with the work that the current candidate has done in my locality and so I won’t be voting for them. I want to make my vote count and it will solely be dependent on the work candidates do for the betterment of their constituency,” said 19-year-old Nandini Verma, a second-year BBA student. Verma said she has given priority to matters of safety and security of women. Many among the youth feel that Dehradun is a quickly expanding city, for which infrastructural development has to be a priority.
“Development work has to be done across all verticals such as infrastructure, health, and education. All of it has to start from the ground,” said Sameer Uddin, 20, a student. Many first-time voters in the city say that the upcoming election is not about "dynasty" or "party politics" but solely about the respective candidate. “Our thought process is different from what our parents think, so are our demands and expectations. We do not care much about what party comes to power but about the candidate who works for their constituency. It’s important that we look at their past performance before casting our vote,” said Raunak, 19, a B Tech student.