With myriad issues - from infrastructure to  corruption - facing Bangalore, Bangaloreans face the great task of putting the right people in the government, and rising up to this challenge is the City’s generation next,  who have just taken their first baby step into the adult world. Many youngsters who have turned 18 recently seem to be eagerly waiting to add their voice to the ballot.

Arjun Sajdani, who turned 18, feels that it is important to vote to assert one’s voice. “For me, greenery is an important issue, and sadly most parties are ignoring the whole issue, focusing instead on infrastructure and roads. These will improve with  passing time, but what about the City’s greenery. Also I think most parties are obsessed with the IT sector, and ignoring parts of old Bangalore like Chikpet. I want to vote to bring about these changes,” he says.

Another youngster, who strongly believes in voting is Snigdha Deb, who is a BBM student. “I have applied for my voter ID card and should get in a day or so. I will definitely vote then. We are the citizens of  this country, and we have to be proactive to make a difference,” she says. Infrastructure and traffic feature high on her list, besides corruption. “We had a rural exposure programme in our course, and people in these villages told us that parties usually  bribed them  to get votes. I want to change this and put the right party in power,” she adds.

There are many out there though who believe that voting is not their first priority,  and their vote will not make much difference.  Either they find that no candidate or party is worth voting for, or they feel that election results don’t affect their personal lives in any way.

 “I have my voter ID card and will probably vote, but I don’t think it will make much difference anyway. People who stand for election neither reach out to  us, nor do they inspire us to vote for them,” says Sushmita Sudarshan, a BSc student. Sushmita is joined in her view by other students like Kiran Ayathan, a graduate and Ranjit, a PU student.

 “The choices in front of us are so bad that we don’t feel like we can make a difference at all,” says Kiran.
Samuel John, who had some trouble getting his voter ID this time, though feels that voting is important. “I would have voted if I had my card. We need to vote. Things never change drastically, but if we put good people in the government, at least gradually things will change for the better,” he says.

All said and done, the ballot box remains the strongest weapon in the hands of the citizens, and scepticism aside, the youth are taking it upon themselves to drive the change.