It has become crucial for all the parties to woo these voters.
NEW DELHI
First-time voters will play a key role in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election to be held in a single phase on 17 November. As the numbers show, 22 lakh, 36 thousand voters will cast their votes for the first time. So, it becomes crucial for all the parties to woo these voters and make them vote for their party, as the votes of these first-time voters will decide who will win the election.
There are a total of 5 crore, 60 lakh, active voters in Madhya Pradesh. Out of these, 22 lakh, 36 thousand voters will vote for the first time, which is around 4% of the total voters. These voters can prove to be the deciding factor in the polls, as in reality, whichever side this vote bank drifts, it’s almost certain that party will form the government in the state. This can be gauged from the results of the 2018 Assembly elections. In 2018, the difference in votes was only less than half a per cent. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 41.02%, while the Congress got 40.89% of the votes. The difference was only 0.13% in votes between these two parties. This minor gap had put Congress above the BJP, and this is the reason why Congress was able to form the government in 2018.
The Congress came to power by winning 114 seats, while the BJP had to be satisfied with 109 seats. As in the last election, both parties had almost equal numbers of votes, so this time new voters will play a crucial role in the Assembly poll, as these first-time voters will decide which party will form their government in the state. The political picture of Madhya Pradesh becomes clear from here; that’s why all the parties are trying their best to woo first-time voters. Till now, the BJP has organised more than 15,000 Yuva Chaupal programmes in 23,000 Gramme Panchayats, while Congress leaders are also trying to woo the youth by promising government jobs on every election platform. Statistics show that 39 lakh youth in Madhya Pradesh are unemployed. That’s why Congress is trying its best to bring them to their side by promising them jobs.
The Sunday Guardian interacted with a few first-time voters and tried to understand their thoughts. Aman Pathak, a first-time voter, said whichever party promises better education and healthcare facilities will be his preference. He said, “We as youth don’t want any Berozgari Bhatta-type cash credited in our accounts; rather, we want to earn money by working hard.
Whichever party or candidate promises to work in this direction will be my preference. The craze of PM Modi is still in youth’s minds, but people at the state level don’t work enough like the PM.” Khushi Patel, another voter, said, “Being a first-time voter, I am nervous and at the same time excited to utilise my vote as a first step towards the change I want for my state or nation. I am hoping to vote for a leader with great vision.”