Young voters in the State keep spirits high, urge others to take plunge, vote   As Haryana heads to the crucial parliamentary elections on May 25, the focus is bound to be on 18-19 years old voters as they are going to exercise their franchise for the first time. With a multi-cornered electoral contest on the cards in the State, over 42 lakh young voters, under 29 years of age, are expected to play a key role in deciding the fate of candidates on all 10 Lok Sabha seats.   Realizing their importance, all the major political parties in the State — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) — have drawn up plans to woo them, and focusing on consolidating their support.   Moreover, the electoral roll, so far, shows an increase in the number of young voters in the state. Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Agarwal said that out of total 1,99,38,247  (1.99 crore) eligible voters, the number of voters in the age group of 18-19 is 3,65,504 (3.65 lakh) including 2.44 lakh male voters and 1.21 female voters; while the number of voters in the age group of 20-29 is 39,31,717 (39.31 lakh).   As per data during the period from 2019 to 2024, more than 23 lakh new voters have been added to the voter list in the State — a significant development indicating greater political and electoral engagement by the younger voters in the State.   Political analysts opine that the young voters will play a pivotal role in deciding the winning candidate on 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. With the declaration of polling date by the ECI, youth wings of all the political parties have launched plans for their own campaigns in colleges, universities and through social networking over the internet to attract young voters.   As a large number of these voters use social media, the political parties and the ticket aspirants have been focusing on reaching out to them through social media platforms, holding interactive sessions on Twitter, Facebook and smartphone application WhatsApp to alter the electoral scene.   They further said that parties believe that these youngsters, who largely have no party affiliation and generally vote based on current issues, will play a significant role in this election. Besides, undecided voters who form a significant percentage of the electorate could be decisive in constituencies which throw up a close contest.   The consolidation of first-time and undecided voters could have titled fortunes of contestants. As the BJP had won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the last Parliamentary election, this time, Congress and other regional parties like INLD, JJP are betting on perceived anti-incumbency against BJP, they added.   Furthermore, analysts opine that the first time voters are soft targets for political propaganda as they are not as familiar with the socio-economic and political system of India as experienced voters who have been doing this for a while now. Unlike most ageing Indians who treat their political parties like their favourite IPL Cricket teams, choosing who to vote for doesnt come easy for young voters.   Furthermore, political analysts believe that young voters, together as a group can make a serious impact on the outcome. The climate and environment, corruption, cost of living, crime and security, education, health care, housing, infrastructure, jobs, social welfare along with safety and security are key election issues for young voters in the State.   Hisar resident, 20-year old Sumitra Singh, pursuing MA in History from Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh said: As a child, accompanying my mother to the polling booth was a cherished memory. We now have become an important part of the democratic system as my name has been registered in the voter list. Everyone should cast their votes. Only through votes, the government of our choice could be formed as the government of the day decides our future.   Ambala resident Vivek Singh said: Being a student of (BA) Political Science, I am very enthusiastic to exercise my precious vote in the Lok Sabha Election in hope of a better future. I am also encouraging my friends to cast their votes   Panchkula-resident Anushka, who is also a first time voter, said, Since my childhood I have seen people coming in huge numbers to cast their votes as I stay right across the polling booth. From watching people voting as a kid to being able to vote myself as an adult has been a journey that made me realise the imperative role of youth in the electoral process. I am very excited to vote for the first time and would appeal to all voters to use their previous votes to strengthen our democratic process.   She further said that one should not think that nothing is going to change even if they vote as all political parties are the same and that their vote will not make a difference. It is worthless to think like this. But they should come forward to exercise their vote to choose a good candidate for their constituency, she added. 

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