Hyderabad: April 30 is an important date, the day the city goes to the polls. The student community is excited not because it’s a holiday, but because many will be casting their votes for the first time.
“Not only am I going to vote for the first-time, but I was also the first one to collect my voter ID card from my group,” says Komal Agarwal, a student of St Francis College. “My friends and I have been reading up and also followed our parents’ conversations on elections.”
According to Paul Oommen, a student of Vasavi College of Engineering, his college played an important role in encouraging students to vote. “Posters were put up and we also had a provision for applying for voter IDs at college a month ago. Many of my friends have gone to their native place to cast their vote,” he says.
While some are excited because it’s their first time, for others it’s because they want a change. “Given the fact that people are fed up with the inefficient government, it’s time that educated people like us cast their vote for a better India,” says Naren Krishna, student of BITS Pilani-H.
“Looking at the corruption in politics, I wonder whether I can even choose the right party. All my friends and I are definitely going to vote, though most of us might end up opting for the ‘NOTA’ option,” says Feroze Jahan, a student of Villa Marie.
Though students might have a difference in opinion on why and for whom they are voting for, one thing is certain, that they are making sure their votes count.
