Indian politicians woo first-time voters as marathon elections resume
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Political parties are making lavish promises to millions of first-time voters as India kicks off a second round of polling in general elections that run from April to June.
Rivals are fighting bitterly over young electors, who were partly responsible for the victories won by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 and 2019.
Around 20 million people are eligible to vote for the first time in this year's polls, which will elect 543 members of the Indian parliament.
Voting is taking place in phases, with 109 seats put to the ballot on 19 April and another 89 a week later.
Results are due on 4 June.
Disaffected voters
Modi's BJP and the opposition Congress are in a race to woo electors aged between 18 and 29 – the largest chunk of new voters enrolled.
But turnout was below average for the first round of voting, giving rise to worries of political cynicism spreading in the world's largest democracy.
According to Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) think tank, their research indicates Indians of all ages are angry over unemployment and high food prices.
“From our surveys we do get an impression that the attraction of the youth for the BJP – especially with regards to Prime Minister Modi – still remains, though there are concerns regards unemployment,” he told India Today.
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