Delhi's young voters ride on excitement for D-day

New Delhi, Feb 4: The excitement of getting their fingers inked coupled with the desire to elect a capable leader in the assembly elections on Saturday is keeping the 1.72 lakh first time voters in the city brimming with hope.[Delhi Election 2015: Complete Coverage]

Waiting eagerly to exercise their franchise, many youngsters say they would take to the social networking sites to share their voting experience.

"I am very excited to cast my vote for the first time. Like it was the trend last time, I am going to post the photos of my inked finger on social networking sites," says an excited Arpita Khanna, a first time voter.

The Delhi election commission has already launched a campaign to spread awareness among youngsters about importance of voting.

"We have come beyond the time when voting day was just another holiday. People are more actively involved in political news now. The campaigns run by the Election Commission and the popular media make you feel important. You feel your vote counts," 19-year-old Ashish Kuamr, a resident of Rohini, says.

Rising prices of essentials, need for clean politics, women's safety, red-tapism and bad infrastructure are some of the pressing issues in the young minds.

"Our pocket money sees a considerable cut when there is inflation. Poor employment opportunities in the country force us to embrace brain drain. We want a leader, irrespective of the party, who brings us a bright future," says Radhika Nair, a journalism student and a first time voter from South Delhi.

The fiercely fought assembly polls have seen the political heavy weights using powerful methods of campaigning. But do the campaigns really end up influencing the young impressionable minds of the first time voters?

"For me, my peers and the discussion at home help in selecting the right candidate. I feel these political campaigns only create nuisance for the public as they lead to long traffic jams and end up anti-public, rather than pro-public," says 22-year-old Minu Murli, working with a private firm in Mangolpuri.

PTI