REPORTING. "If not Modi, then who wins?" : the dilemma of young voters in India for the legislative elections
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
Like 130 million other young people in India, Prashant, 26, is called to vote in the legislative elections starting Friday April 19. Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister, could be re-elected for a third term, despite certain controversies and criticism surrounding him.
But Prashant above all draws an economic assessment of the leader’s mandates. “When Modi came to power, India was 10th in the world. We are now number five, so in my opinion we are doing pretty well”notes the young man, satisfied.” I hope that we will become the third largest economy in the world with a GDP of $5 trillion in the next term of this government.” This is also Narendra Modi’s objective within five years.
Much more critical, Yashpal, another young man, lists what has gone wrong since the Prime Minister and his party came to power ten years ago. “Prices are increasing, unemployment is also increasing. In my state, theHaryana, the unemployment rate is 35%. Despite this, the BJP [parti politique de Narendra Modi] plays on caste politics and religion. It’s all about Hindus and Hindus”he laments.“They [le BJP] now accuse Muslims of being a threat to Hindus, even though they represent only 15% of the population. I will never vote for him.”
At a private university, Saisha and her friend Tasha, one intends to become a stylist, the other into journalism. These two young girls of 20, from wealthy backgrounds, see in Narendra Modi the only candidate capable of embodying today’s India. “Modi has this aura, this leadership, this competence and this presence which influences many people,” believes Saisha.
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