What Mumbai's Gen Z demands from Lok Sabha polls

With Lok Sabha polls entering phase 2 a ridiculously large number of Gen Z and millennials are refraining from voting In a bid to decode why middaycom interviewed Mumbais youth who shared insights into their comprehension or lack thereof of the 2024 general electionsldquoWe donrsquot have much knowledge on this subjectrdquo confessed Suruchi Rastogi 21 a pharmacy student when queried about her voting history With a lack of education on who to vote for the voice of Indian youth remains dormant when it comes to choosing their leaderThe worldrsquos largest democracy India is also home to the largest youth population globally Despite this demographic prowess youth influence on the elections appears to be stifled with fewer than 40 per cent of eligible voters aged between 18 and 19 being registered for the 2024 general elections according to the Election Commission of IndiaSeveral young people interviewed by the Midday team also opined that youth representation is missing from the parliament and that the current agendas of political parties donrsquot take into consideration their aspirationsSumit Anand 23 a student of Rizvi College Bandra said ldquoMost of the elected members are senior citizens For example LK Advani and Amit Shah sir They are mostly seniors I dont see much youth representation in Indian politicsrdquoOn the other hand Shivam Khandelwal 29 who completed his MBA at ICFAI Business School offers a different perspective arguing that younger members might not have enough experience to become lawmakers I suppose for now a millennial obviously would be the one who might get into the parliament Not anyone post that generation But even a millennial would lack the aptitude to ensure that the government performs its duties satisfactorilySaima Akhtar 24 from National College in Khar opines that there are youth members in Indian politics but not enough In the current Lok Sabha only 12 per cent of the members are youth leaders as per a report by lsquoYouth in Politicsrsquo Some of the prominent youth leaders in India are Sachin Pilot Jyotiraditya Scindia Agatha Sangma Lakshika Dagar and Tejasvi SuryaAlso Read Mumbai lsquoDonrsquot use model code to strip students of rightsrsquoDoes Gen Z know who to vote for and whyWhile the youth remain complacent in learning about their constituencies and representatives some of them blame it on their parents for not introducing them to Indian politics Shifali Bhasin 19 a student of Psychology shares Ive never felt the need to get a voter ID because my parents never had one eitherrdquoConversely Anand takes a divergent stance thanks to the escalating presence of Indian political discourse on social media platforms ldquoAlthough I have not visited Ayodhya I have seen that Ram Mandir has been built very well I think due to the internet trend BJP will win this timerdquoWhen asked about how he decides who to vote for Anand shared that he assesses candidates based on their fiveyear performance to determine their effectiveness and accomplishments ldquoMy vote is cast accordingly taking into account their demonstrated excellence over timerdquo he addedParallelly Khandelwal hints at a growing reliance on hate speech and polarisation amongst politicians to garner votes ldquoAs much as we get to see the events in Delhi it does feel that this is not going the correct way however I am not much into the political partrdquoComing from a finance background Khandelwal places heavy weight on factors like Indiarsquos inclusion in the JP Morgan Government Bond Index ldquoI am happy with the fact that the country is better rated on platforms like CRISIL ICRA SMERA I am not much into politics as I donrsquot understand itrdquo Khandelwal separates himself from how politics is unfolding by concentrating on financial prosperitySaima outlines her criteria for voting decisions She prioritises development including infrastructure and educational opportunities particularly for the youth Additionally job availability and international engagement factor into her considerationsWhat the youth wants from the elected partyGen Z and millennials voice their aspirations from the winning government prioritising initiatives on education and the environmentKhandelwal stresses that green cover needs to expand to mitigate climate change ldquoWhile the ruling party promotes electric cars as a step towards environmental sustainability the extraction of lithium a crucial component poses significant harm to nature contradicting their green initiatives Furthermore I find the ongoing construction of roads unsettling especially when travelling It often leaves me questioning are we living in a concrete junglerdquoDriving the focus back to rising unemployment in the country Anand appeals that the winning party needs to prioritise employment opportunities and invest in infrastructure particularly in sectors like hospitality healthcare and education Given the soaring costs of schooling steps should be taken to reduce fees ensuring that more parents can afford quality education for their childrenWhile Bhasin is not voting this year she highlights 4 issues she wants to be resolved by the party that wins Lok Sabha elections Academics Schools Cleanliness and Mumbai trafficSaima expands on local issues by emphasising the current condition of road infrastructure in Mumbai ldquoGive us good roads within the city Yes the coastal road project is great but what about internal roads that remain unattended dug and ruined for yearsrdquoShe continues ldquoMoreover the issue of excessive street hawkers needs to be addressed along with better regulation of traffic violations such as unauthorised parking and restricted entry areas for vehiclesrdquoAlso Read Explained Weinstein rape verdictBringing back the focus on safety Khandelwal shares that crime rates need to be reduced especially considering recent incidents where perpetrators easily evade capture For instance the shooter at Salman Khans residence appeared to carry out the act effortlessly raising questions about law enforcement efficacy Additionally reports suggest he was the primary suspect in the Sidhu Moosewala case and managed to flee to Azerbaijan despite being connected to a jailed relative prompting concerns about the effectiveness of the justice systemHarsh Singhal 19 pursuing Bachelor of Management Studies appeals to the government to improve the education curriculum reduce the burden on students and equip them with practical life skills beyond mere syllabus completion Additionally addressing poverty by allocating more funds towards poverty alleviation programs is imperative Lastly he remarks that there is a pressing need for global food security initiatives to ensure sustainable access to nutrition for allSinghal concludes by saying that ldquorather than having strict rules I believe there should be more supervision on how these rules are followed in certain states and certain citiesrdquoAlso Read Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase 2 Scorching heatwave casts shadow on turnout