Hyderabad: There are many young candidates contesting from several Assembly constituencies in the city, hoping to attract young voters and trounce their more experienced opponents.
Over 12 per cent of the 39.64 lakh voters in Hyderabad district are aged between 18 and 29 years and they are expected to play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the candidates. In all, there are over two dozen young candidates in the fray from various Assembly segments and from various parties, including independents.
In the upmarket Assembly segment of Jubilee Hills, 30-year-old V. Naveen Yadav of the MIM is taking on senior sitting MLA P. Vishnuvardhan of Congress who is trying for a hat-trick.
“I will conduct job melas for the educated youth by roping in corporate and IT companies to hire the youth. Skill upgradation programmes will be organised for the not so educated. The GHMC led by Mayor Majid Hussain of MIM has already conducted several rounds of job melas and thousands of youth have got jobs. Housing for the poor, civic amenities and old age pensions are other priorities on my list,” said Mr Yadav, who holds Bachelor’s degree in Architecture.
In the Khairatabad Assembly constituency, 35-year-old P. Vijaya Reddy of the YSRC, daughter of the late P. Janardhan Reddy is taking on heavy-weight city minister Danam Nagender.
“Voters trust me because my father has done a lot of development in this constituency. I am telling the youth that I will be honest and work for promotion of education, employment and will always be available to them. Though the general impression is that the senior voters are pre-determined to vote for a party or a candidate, I am going to them seeking a change of guard in the constituency. Young blood should come to take the constituency on the path of progress and growth,” said Ms Vijaya Reddy who is an M. Tech in Computer Science and has registered for a Ph.D.
Another youth leader is 37-year-old T. Raja Singh of the BJP. He is popular among the youth in his constituency and is confident of trouncing two-time minister Mukesh Goud in Goshamahal Assembly segment.
“Only Narendra Modi can further develop the country as he has done in Gujarat. Entire youth is in favour of Modi and only BJP-led NDA can offer employment opportunities to the youth in all sectors,” he said.
Thirty eight year-old Gajjela Kantam of the Congress is taking on three-time MLA G. Sayanna of the Congress and veteran politician Venkat Rao of the YSRC in Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly constituency. He got the ticket for having spearheaded the Telangana agitation.
“Financial resources should be created for the youth to pursue higher education, and jobs should be created. Only the Congress government under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi can ensure that India becomes a global power in all sectors,” he said. He is a graduate in Bachelor of Arts.
