Campaign gives platform for first-time voters to voice demands

RANCHI: For first-time voter, Shweta Pandey, the issue that needs attention in this general election is women’s safety. She will be sharing her solutions to the problem to leaders and policymakers.


Pandey, a first-year student of Manrakhan Mahto BEd College in Ranchi, is one of the many youngsters from Ranchi selected by Dasra Adolescent Collaborative (DAC), an NGO working with dropouts in Jharkhand for ‘Ab Meri Baari’, a campaign aimed at helping

first-time voters

in the capital voice their demands before the candidates in fray across Jharkhand.

The first series of discussions were held in three colleges in Ranchi on Wednesday with first-time voters sharing their views and demands. “Hard punishment can serve as a strong deterrent to crimes against women. As a girl, I find it unsafe to walk on the roads at night. For me, it is an issue that needs highlighting and a strong solution,” said Pandey.

A film, #AbMeriBaari, was also screened on the occasion, urging first-time voters to exercise their franchise.

Priyanka Jaiswal, a teacher who attended the session with her students, said: “The initiative is interesting as the demands of these young voters are as important as any of us. Many first-time voters shared a variety of demands and it was great to find them bonding over shared interests.”

Dasra, along with its partner organizations — Centre of Catalyzing Change (C3), Child in Need Institute (CINI), Magic Bus, and Quest Alliance among others — is running campaigning efforts across Jharkhand and Rajasthan through the initiative.

Amit Kumar Ghosh, programme manager of the campaign, said: “One key focus of #AbMeriBaari is to make our youth aware of their rights and choices. The election encompasses both, exercising one’s right for choosing a leader of their choice. The campaign is aimed at helping them make informed choices and that will help them build a better future. In Jharkhand, we’re organizing screenings at institutes to enable awareness and ownership towards their rights.”

DAC will be selecting ‘Girl Champions’ through this initiative who will be involved in the analysis and grading of adolescent centric policies on health and education in Jharkhand. Armed with their report cards of these policies, suggestive changes will be given to the political leaders both at the state and national level, enabling opinions and views of first time voters reach the policymakers directly.