35,000 First-Time Voters Gear Up for Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election 2024, Prioritizing Employment and Inflation Concerns

Kalpesh Rajendra Bhosale, a student and resident of Vashi, will cast his vote for the first time, and he is excited to stand in the queue along with his father. He wants the elected government to tackle the rising inflation and scrap the Agniveer scheme, which provides employment in Indian Armed forces for only four years. Like Bhosale, there are around 35,181 first-time voters in the Thane Lok Sabha constituency. Apart from excitement and enthusiasm to cast their votes, many of these voters are focusing on serious issues, including employment, inflation, and development.

Karn Thakur, a student from Vashi, says that he has been following politics for the last two months. "After my name was updated in the voters’ list, I am excited to know about the constituency. I just explored details of candidates," said Thakur, adding that he wants whoever comes into power to work on employment. "Job opportunities are very scarce compared to the number of students graduating from colleges," said Thakur. Interestingly, a number of first-time voters are against bringing religion into politics. "I do not understand politics much, but religion is a personal matter, not a political one," said Kiran Singh, a resident of Nerul.

But there are first-time voters who are a little confused. Parth Jadhav, a resident of Belapur, says that there are both negative and positive posts on social media, which leaves him unsure about which party is the right choice. "How can I decide which candidate to vote for when I have never met them? So far, no one has even visited my area," he said. There are first-time voters who are eagerly waiting to post their selfies on social networking platforms showing their inked fingers. "My elder brother had posted his photo in the last assembly election, and now I got this opportunity," said Susmitha Rajan. Similarly, Tanvi Anil Limaye, a 19-year-old student from Jui Nagar, expressed her excitement as a first-time voter, stating that participating in the biggest election of the country is truly exhilarating. She sees it as an opportunity to choose individuals who will represent the largest democracy in the world.

In the six assembly constituencies under the Thane Lok Sabha, the total number of voters is 2,490,513, of which 35,181 voters (0.14%) are first-time voters. The Ovala Majiwada assembly constituency has the maximum with 7,518 first-time voters, followed by 6,906 voters in the Airoli assembly. Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has been taking several measures to create awareness among voters, including first-time voters. In addition to door-to-door visits, the civic body has deployed moving mascots across the city.