JOIN USYoung voters turned around Samajwadi party's fortunes
Poll analysts may have come up with a number of factors that they think are responsible for the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) victory at the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. But ask any unemployed youth and you will get a completely different answer.
Prima facie their analysis appears to be true. SP’s electoral manifesto to provide Rs 1,000 as “unemployment allowance” to those unemployed who are above the age of 35 years led to the gathering of youths in front of the employment exchanges across the state to register their names to avail of the facility.
During its previous regime, the allowance was Rs 500.
It has been observed that the increase of Rs 500 is a bid to attract a huge number of unemployed youths towards the party. The gamble appeared to have paid off and the party reaped rich electoral success largely aided by the support extended to it by the young voters.
“All of us voted for the SP…Rs 1,000 may not be a lot of money but it is something. With this money, we can at least buy application forms without being dependent on our parents,” said Ramendra, an unemployed youth who was standing in a long serpentine queue before the employment exchange here on Tuesday.
Similar sentiments were echoed by many, especially the women.
In fact, the unemployed youths were the first to sniff a change of guard in the state several days before the counting of votes started.
Since February, they had started making a beeline for the employment exchanges across India’s most populous state to get their names registered.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its election manifesto had promised that it would provide Rs 2,000 as unemployment allowance if it came to power.
However, economic experts fear that the new government in power in UP may find it difficult to fulfill its electoral promises due to source crunch.