Question

essay on role of youth in democracy​

Answer 1

Answer:

As India goes through its crucial General Elections 2014, quite a few unique developments are very evident. This year 150 million new voters have been added to the electoral list, and most of them are first time voters from the “youth circle” who are willing to act for change.

For the first time in India’s political history, this number has made the young voters a sizeable force to reckon with. The speeches of Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Narendra Modi (BJP) and Arvind Kejriwal (AAP) are being critically analysed by this group across the country. Be it promises of new jobs, setting up more post graduate institutes, or more scholarships and fellowships to study abroad, the political party manifestos are compared and scrutinized by young professionals and students holding debates and bringing candidates to answer questions related to how their party will implement these promises.

This large group of youth voters have made leaders answerable to them such that a political party’s victory will now depend on its accountability and not its ability to woo voters through illegal means.

In Bangalore, the IT hub of India, youngsters from diverse backgrounds like engineering, media and law participated in the Political Action Internship 2014 led by Prof. Rajeev Gowda, IIM Bangalore. The interns were exposed to election campaigns of the key parties in the state, door-to-door campaigns of leaders like Congress candidate Nanadan Nilekani, opinion poll surveys, manifesto analysis and interactions with experts from social media advertising, print media and urban development. Professors were also invited, sharing views on political systems in countries like Israel. The internship was concluded by mock elections including campaigning for the leader, manifestos, and voting with verification procedures and inked fingers. Prof. Gowda’s explanation of the history of state politics made the interns eager to change the perception of the educated middle class and their apathy towards the political system. They voted for the first time in a general election, representing the educated youth eager to join politics and make a difference.