Young, first-timers vote for development, better future

Srinagar, May 13

As the Srinagar parliament constituency witnessed elections after a gap of around five years, the young and first-time voters pinned their hopes that their votes were not wasted.

The young voters in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency said that Kashmir had endured a lot in the past and expressed hope that by sending a good leader to the Parliament, they would be able to highlight the issues of Kashmir and the problems people were facing.

“Our leader should be someone who can handle Kashmir. We do not want anyone to pull us in their direction for their interests. We did not vote while considering our personal or individual benefits but voted to safeguard Kashmir. This time we want that person to win who has clear intentions for Kashmir and is a man of integrity,” said an elderly female voter from the Malteng area of Dalgate.

“These candidates should not seek votes for personal gains. We have made many sacrifices so far and do not want to see the same situation in future as well,” she said.

The voters said that they exercise their right to franchise in the interest of Kashmir not for personal benefits.

Furqan Bilal, another young and first-time voter said that he decided to cast his vote to get statehood back.

“We are casting our votes so that our issues can be resolved. Our statehood has been taken away. It should be restored. The unemployment rate is high, and youth are struggling. Since statehood was revoked, the situation has worsened. We want statehood back. Prices should come down. We expect that after our candidates go to parliament they will talk about installation of smart meters and get them removed,” he said.

The young voters appealed to the Government of India to restore the statehood of J&K after the culmination of the parliamentary polls.

Another female voter from the Abi Guzar area of Srinagar said that they had come to vote to secure a better future saying that voting was a fundamental right and could change the future.

The young voters from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency who sided with democracy urged all the contesting candidates of LS polls not to misuse their votes under any circumstances.

Muhammad Ishfaq, another young voter, said that he cast his vote for the first time, considering the power of the vote.

“If our votes are not misused then it can prove more powerful than anything else. So we appeal to our candidates that our votes should not get misused,” he said.

Another young voter from Srinagar uptown said that they cast their vote to choose better candidates who would respect their vote.

A group of young and first-time voters from Srinagar outskirts said that the candidates they had chosen would hold accountable those who are responsible for whatever problems were faced by younger generations in the past.

“I cast my vote for the first time as I acknowledge that India is a democratic country and people should vote in large numbers and choose the candidate of their choice so that institutions are built here,” the young voter said.

Another young voter said that casting a vote would pave the way for development.

“Earlier voting used to be less but this time we want to see change and want development here,” he said.