Time for change: Voters in Thiruvananthapuram call for political shift

For most of the ordinary and common workingclass Keralites in Thiruvananthapuram and across the rest of the state elections do not make much of a difference in their personal lives as they believe that only by working will they be able to feed their families and political talks do not pay However there are a few others who are irked with the present ruling state government which has failed to bring any form of positive change or development to infrastructures and healthcare setupsMunna Mohammed balloon vendorThe worst part is that some of the state governmentrun medical colleges do not even provide free medicines and the social security schemes run in the form of giving monthly pensions have also not been disbursed for the last few months due to nonavailability of funds A travel agency owner who did not wish to be identified said ldquoThe roads connecting the intersections of the smart city were dug up for the last few months and the entire traffic flow was adversely impacted as there was no coordination between the agencies leading to common men and motorists suffering Four days ago it started raining in Thiruvananthapuram and once again rains led to chaos as the area was flooded within no time These issues are a matter of concern for usrdquoTime to vote for changeShivkumar V a vendor near the museum at Thiruvananthapuram said ldquoIt is high time that we voted for a change The present state government has been in power for the last two consecutive terms but the situation is turning from bad to worserdquo When asked nuns waiting at a bus stop to express their views on the present contestants contesting the Lok Sabha party they said ldquoThe political party members visit our convent before the elections and inform us of all that they have done in the past and what they intend to do in the future and before leaving remind us that we need to vote on the voting dayrdquoShivkumar V a vendorMunna Mohammed a balloon vendor added ldquoI am originally from Bihar which is my janma bhoomi birthplace I am in Thiruvananthapuram though I do not have a voting card here I have learned Malayalam and this is my karma bhoomi I earn around Rs 1500 to Rs 2000 in a week selling balloons Vendors do not discuss politicsrdquo Driver Suresh V said ldquoI cannot afford to discuss politics or politicians with any of my clients as it doesnrsquot help me make a living for my family Also people have their own interests and choices but for the working class these choices at times become a luxury to speak on politics and their candidatesrdquoPolitical posters and murals displayed for the upcoming Lok Sabha 2024 election in Thiruvananthapuram PicsAtul KambleUnique group of senior citizensA unique group of senior citizens who worked at senior positions during their working days in government semigovernment and private organisations were spotted inside the museum garden The group some of whom had stayed in South and SouthCentral Mumbai before shifting to Thiruvananthapuram postretirement has a uniqueness of not discussing politics or politicians whenever they meet in the evening hours ldquoWe have mutually agreed to respect everyonersquos political ideology and political interest and hence with an intent to maintain decorum we unanimously agreed to not discuss politics or politiciansrdquo said one of the membersIncrease in young votersThe number of young voters for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has surged dramatically Since the draft electoral roll was released on October 23 2023 311805 new voters have registered The final list published on January 22 increased from 77176 to 288533 voters As of March 25 there are 388951 young voters marking a notable increase Additionally the number of transgender voters rose from 268 to 309 The Election Commissionrsquos SVEEP activities including social media campaigns have contributed to this success receiving positive public feedback