By Ibankyntiew Mawrie & Nawaz Yasin Islam
SHILLONG: The full frontal vigour of young voters is presumed to steal the show on February 23 as they finally take advantage of one of the most important rights that comes with being a citizen.
Though normally sidelined as being unaware of aspects related to the battleground in Meghalaya, the ‘young force’ are all geared up to show that the future of the contestants lie in their ‘second long’ decision taken inside the polling station.
Though some have hinted at choosing responsibly, others feel that the choice this election yet again revolves around ‘choosing the lesser evil’.
Out of the total 15, 03, 907 voters in the State, over 1 lakh are new voters and 45,000 are young voters between the age group of 18-19 years.
The Shillong Times tried to get the opinion of a few random individuals who are under the banner, ’18 and good to go’.
Kenneth Norma
(Age: 26 years)
“As a first time voter, I see this as a great opportunity to exercise my right and secondly this is a chance for me to choose a candidate without any prejudice and pressure. The impact of first time voters will be tremendous in the upcoming elections considering the fact that they will determine the outcome, which may be out of sheer curiosity of pressing the EVM or motivated by an earnest endeavour. Young blood being more responsive to pragmatic solutions will not be swayed by political rhetoric in the upcoming elections.”
Jason Manners (Age: 24 years)
“Being a first timer, it does feel exciting but knowing that vote quality doesn’t matter as opposed to quantity, I just hope that my click accounts to some intrinsic value for the society. I sincerely hope no one is influenced to vote and does the same with a straight mindset.”
“I for sure am serious but I cannot expect but wish for a change. We are in the same precarious position irrespective of which side we chose and we will still be knee deep in dirt. I have been staying in Nongrah for over fifteen years and I am witness to the fact that the MLA just failed to arrange the minimum. We all have to resort to rain water harvesting for want of water and this is really not feasible. A dynamic youth movement based on a good and constructive ideology is the key.”
Kenneth Nongsiej (Age: 21 years)
“I now feel like I have the authority to question the representatives because at the end of the day, I also have equal rights like others, I voted him to power and I play an equal role in the system. I am hoping for a change and the selected candidate should meet their agenda within their stipulate time frame as a lot of development works needs to be undertaken. This should not be Shillong centric but envelope rural areas as well.”
Philawanri Mawrie (Age: 20 years)
“I am a bit nervous but that comes with my excitement of pressing the button. I will choose carefully and at the same time, I expect the selected candidate to be more responsible in addressing issues related to his constituency and its people. The elected representatives should prioritize their work and focus on the immediate issues of improving the deplorable road conditions and removing poverty.”
Samran Sing Syiem (Age: 22 years)
“This will be the first time that I will cast my vote. I want to make good use of it and choose a candidate who really understands the meaning of Democracy. A representative should be fair and free from corruption and should work actively for the uplift of the people and the State as a whole. The 36-hour bandh called by the HNLC is just an attempt to undermine the spirit of Democracy which I am totally against since India stands for Democracy.”
Wanbunbok Rumnong (Age: 19 years)
“I am excited because unlike all the past years I would scream and rally behind some party or candidate. It was kind of funny since I was not even enrolled. But now, I can say that I am 18 and I am a citizen of India and that I will have an equal share by exercising my franchise. It will be great to be part of a group of electors who would decide the fate of a representative who is expected to live up to the hopes and aspirations of the people and should be able to deliver clean and transparent governance. The democratic rights of the people should not be suppressed by mere threats from some militant outfits. India is a democratic country and it is high time, we learn to accept that fact. We should indeed be proud to have been given a chance to choose our own leaders.”