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India's Gen Z voters seek jobs, harmony in world's biggest election
For 20-year-old Roushan Kumar, who sells flowers for a living in India's eastern state of West Bengal, more jobs and better education are priorities. And the first-time voter wants to pick a government that will provide just that.
India's election starting on Friday is the world's largest electoral exercise with more than 18 million people voting for the first time.
While polls project Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win a third term, new voters like Kumar are determined to make their voices count.
"I will vote for a party that works for development in education. I will vote for a party that will provide employment – so that there are jobs," Kumar, a Modi supporter, told Reuters.
Kumar's priorities match many his age. Rising tensions between religious groups, inflation and lack of jobs were the top concerns emerging from Modi's decade-long rule, according to a survey of 1,290 first-time voters in New Delhi by pollsters CSDS-Lokniti.
Nearly two-thirds of those polled said they would vote for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party given the government's strong record of economic growth, amid a sense of pride over construction of a massive Hindu temple.
Despite world-beating growth, India's economy has scrambled to generate enough work for its people. Its youth make for most of the nation's unemployed workforce, according to a report by the International Labour Organisation and Institute for Human Development.
Akansha Majumdar, a 20-year-old engineering student in West Bengal's said India's government needs to eradicate illiteracy and provide job security.
To tap into such disenchantment, India's main opposition Congress has promised paid apprenticeships. Modi's party manifesto also focuses on creating jobs.
Beyond jobs and rising costs, communal harmony is another priority for many young voters.
Delhi-based laptop repairer Mohammad Aijaz Ansari, 19, said fighting in the "name of religion" is everywhere and should not happen. He will vote for the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Person's Party, a Congress ally.
In reports released last year, the U.S. State Department raised concerns over the treatment of Muslims and other religious minorities in India. Modi denies discriminating against minorities.
I think one major hope for India would be being more socially progressive, which covers a more holistic approach towards economy and societal problems. As a Gen-Z, I want my country to be global but not copy the West; transcending towards a more solid global position, writing our own path.
There are so many unemployed people. Many people in my locality keep asking for work, but they don't get any. They work for private firms for a meagre amount of 10,000 -12,000 rupees (per month) (119 – 143USD) , which is not enough for a household to survive.
I am happy that I will be voting for the time but not excited as such. I am a housewife and live here on Yamuna flood-pan, I am not very up to date with the current situation. I will follow my family … I can't go against my family if they are voting for a particular party or person, I will vote for the same.
India is getting richer, but the gap between rich and poor is getting bigger. I don't like how public services are being privatized for profit. I want a government that helps everyone, not just the rich, and treats everyone fairly. When I vote, I want to make India more fair and inclusive, especially for those who need it most
We talk about secularism on one hand, and we simultaneously see things happening and people being murdered in the name of religion, it's very disheartening to see this.
I believe that everyone should be educated, illiteracy should be wiped out completely. I hope with a change of government the caste system can be abolished. I see a lot of fights between Hindus and Muslims, I didn't see this division growing up. It's only in the last few years that it has become a lot.
I personally plan to vote for BJP as I can see change coming. We are developing as a nation and a superpower on a global scale.
I'll vote for PDP to protect Muslims' rights. I don't think things are normal, especially when the government stops prayers or arrests leaders, I want the ruling party to explain why they do these things and prove they care about Kashmiri freedom.
I don't have any favourite party, but yes, I support BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) because of the work they are doing for the country. I have not decided yet whom to vote for, but I will look for the candidate in my society and will decide accordingly.
I must go cast my vote, this is my first time voting and I will motivate my friends and my neighbours to vote too. Our country is democratic country and for that I feel proud. I'm thinking of voting BJP, they have done good work in both the rural and urban areas after they came to power.
Medical facilities need to improve, especially in smaller underdeveloped cities of India. Many people are dying from common diseases because they have no access to proper medication or hospitals.
I think we should give a vote to Modi Ji, he has done a lot of things and brought many new schemes. Before, we didn't have any value in foreign countries, but now everyone treats us respectfully.
I hope that basic education is provided for all. There are more slums in the cities than there are in villages. Children as old as seven or eight years of age are forced to leave schools and their education to find jobs to feed themselves and their families. Our government needs to help provide basic education to all, No one should be illiterate for life.
I plan to vote for BJP because it has made things convenient and easier for me. Technologically we've made significant developments, and our passport has become stronger now. The way Indians are looked at outside the country has changed, it has become smoother to settle abroad.
There is a massive difference and change (since my parents were my age). During their time, there was no development. Before, our home was in a slum, and now we all have a house; we did not have water, and now every house has a tap.
Life was better in the earlier government's term, our livelihood has been impacted. I have studied until 10th standard only, I had to drop out to support my family financially. After moving to the city, we are drowning in loans, we were confident we would somehow survive, but we are so sceptical of our futures now.