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India's millions of young voters can swing national election

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India's millions of young voters can swing national election
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India's millions of young voters can swing national election

2019-04-18 17:41 Last Updated At：18:00

Young Indians could play a crucial role in the ongoing general election in the world's largest democracy.

With nearly two-thirds of India's population below 35, and more than 15 million first-time voters aged 18 and 19, young men and women have the power to swing the national vote in any direction.

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In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Rajanvir Singh Luthra, 23, a You Tube vlogger, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Whichever government comes to power, the first thing they should do is to look after the poor because the rate of poverty is very high in India. No doubt, we now have digital India, we have everything online, but do something for the poor people also,” Luthra told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

Young Indians could play a crucial role in the ongoing general election in the world's largest democracy.
In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Monika Dalal, 20, a psychology student talks to associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Women’s safety is the major issue for me. People are talking a lot about it and there are slogans like “Save girl child, educate girl child,” being launched, but I don’t think these concepts are applied to the roots with practicality. I have been to the villages and seen how girls are treated. They are not even educated and if they do go to school, they are forced to marry right after completing grade 12,” Dalal said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

They are interested, instead, on landing jobs after college, living in cleaner cities with breathable air, increasing women's safety and competing with the world's biggest economies.
In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, a banking and financial services student Kavita Srivastava, 18, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “The biggest issue in Delhi is girls’ safety, which is still not 100%. So the main issue is that ... girls should feel safe leaving their homes and going out at whatever time of the night. I don’t think Rahul Gandhi is the best option. I too am in support of Narendra Modi. I think he has the potential to take India to those heights," Srivastava said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

Here are some of the views of young voters in New Delhi:
In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, psychology student Vardha Kharbanda, 20, speaks to Associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution,” Kharbanda said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

"Narendra Modi has provided a lot of facilities for the poor people of this country. In my home state of Uttar Pradesh, villages that were rarely lit now have electricity. Where food used to be cooked on firewood, he has given gas cylinders."
In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, university student Jitesh Nagpal, 20, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “For me the biggest issue is job opportunities. Whichever party creates more jobs, for the new industries, will get my vote. Because I will have to start looking for jobs very soon,” Nagpal told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

"I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution."
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In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Rajanvir Singh Luthra, 23, a You Tube vlogger, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Whichever government comes to power, the first thing they should do is to look after the poor because the rate of poverty is very high in India. No doubt, we now have digital India, we have everything online, but do something for the poor people also,” Luthra told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

Young Indians could play a crucial role in the ongoing general election in the world's largest democracy.

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Monika Dalal, 20, a psychology student talks to associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Women’s safety is the major issue for me. People are talking a lot about it and there are slogans like “Save girl child, educate girl child,” being launched, but I don’t think these concepts are applied to the roots with practicality. I have been to the villages and seen how girls are treated. They are not even educated and if they do go to school, they are forced to marry right after completing grade 12,” Dalal said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

They are interested, instead, on landing jobs after college, living in cleaner cities with breathable air, increasing women's safety and competing with the world's biggest economies.

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, a banking and financial services student Kavita Srivastava, 18, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “The biggest issue in Delhi is girls’ safety, which is still not 100%. So the main issue is that ... girls should feel safe leaving their homes and going out at whatever time of the night. I don’t think Rahul Gandhi is the best option. I too am in support of Narendra Modi. I think he has the potential to take India to those heights," Srivastava said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

Here are some of the views of young voters in New Delhi:

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, psychology student Vardha Kharbanda, 20, speaks to Associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution,” Kharbanda said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

"Narendra Modi has provided a lot of facilities for the poor people of this country. In my home state of Uttar Pradesh, villages that were rarely lit now have electricity. Where food used to be cooked on firewood, he has given gas cylinders."

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, university student Jitesh Nagpal, 20, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “For me the biggest issue is job opportunities. Whichever party creates more jobs, for the new industries, will get my vote. Because I will have to start looking for jobs very soon,” Nagpal told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

"I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution."

Ambitious, aspirational and impatient for change, young voters — at least in India's capital — are less focused on issues such as caste and religion than older generations, according to interviews with The Associated Press.

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Rajanvir Singh Luthra, 23, a You Tube vlogger, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Whichever government comes to power, the first thing they should do is to look after the poor because the rate of poverty is very high in India. No doubt, we now have digital India, we have everything online, but do something for the poor people also,” Luthra told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Rajanvir Singh Luthra, 23, a You Tube vlogger, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Whichever government comes to power, the first thing they should do is to look after the poor because the rate of poverty is very high in India. No doubt, we now have digital India, we have everything online, but do something for the poor people also,” Luthra told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

They are interested, instead, on landing jobs after college, living in cleaner cities with breathable air, increasing women's safety and competing with the world's biggest economies.

Current Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be the favorite, riding a wave of Hindu nationalism that peaked after India's air force attacked an alleged militant base in Pakistan to avenge a suicide attack on an Indian security convoy that killed more than 40 soldiers in disputed Kashmir.

His main opponent, Congress party's Rahul Gandhi, hopes to revive the glory of India's grand old party that ruled the country for more than 50 years, since independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Monika Dalal, 20, a psychology student talks to associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Women’s safety is the major issue for me. People are talking a lot about it and there are slogans like “Save girl child, educate girl child,” being launched, but I don’t think these concepts are applied to the roots with practicality. I have been to the villages and seen how girls are treated. They are not even educated and if they do go to school, they are forced to marry right after completing grade 12,” Dalal said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, Monika Dalal, 20, a psychology student talks to associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “Women’s safety is the major issue for me. People are talking a lot about it and there are slogans like “Save girl child, educate girl child,” being launched, but I don’t think these concepts are applied to the roots with practicality. I have been to the villages and seen how girls are treated. They are not even educated and if they do go to school, they are forced to marry right after completing grade 12,” Dalal said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

Here are some of the views of young voters in New Delhi:

Mayank Thakur, 18, engineering student

"Unemployment is very high in India currently. India has a lot of engineers who haven't been able to develop their skills because there aren't enough jobs for them in India."

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, a banking and financial services student Kavita Srivastava, 18, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “The biggest issue in Delhi is girls’ safety, which is still not 100%. So the main issue is that ... girls should feel safe leaving their homes and going out at whatever time of the night. I don’t think Rahul Gandhi is the best option. I too am in support of Narendra Modi. I think he has the potential to take India to those heights," Srivastava said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, a banking and financial services student Kavita Srivastava, 18, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “The biggest issue in Delhi is girls’ safety, which is still not 100%. So the main issue is that ... girls should feel safe leaving their homes and going out at whatever time of the night. I don’t think Rahul Gandhi is the best option. I too am in support of Narendra Modi. I think he has the potential to take India to those heights," Srivastava said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

"Narendra Modi has provided a lot of facilities for the poor people of this country. In my home state of Uttar Pradesh, villages that were rarely lit now have electricity. Where food used to be cooked on firewood, he has given gas cylinders."

"India is now a very secure nation in the last five years. When Pakistan attacked us, Narendra Modi gave them a jaw-breaking reply."

Vardha Kharbanda, 20, psychology student:

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, psychology student Vardha Kharbanda, 20, speaks to Associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution,” Kharbanda said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, psychology student Vardha Kharbanda, 20, speaks to Associated Press in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution,” Kharbanda said. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

"I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution."

"No left and no right can actually run a secular and democratic nation that is multilingual and multicultural in nature. It cannot be done with a single ideology."

Arjun Parcha, 32, hospital supplies assistant:

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, university student Jitesh Nagpal, 20, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “For me the biggest issue is job opportunities. Whichever party creates more jobs, for the new industries, will get my vote. Because I will have to start looking for jobs very soon,” Nagpal told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2019, photo, university student Jitesh Nagpal, 20, stands for a photograph in New Delhi, India. With nearly half the electorate under 35 and more than 15 million first time voters, India's young can swing the national vote in the world's largest democracy in any direction. “For me the biggest issue is job opportunities. Whichever party creates more jobs, for the new industries, will get my vote. Because I will have to start looking for jobs very soon,” Nagpal told the Associated Press. (AP PhotoManish Swarup)

"Nowadays, whoever comes into power is busy serving their own interests. Who is looking out for us? Nobody. They are only looking at filling their own pockets. What has happened? Every day we hear about fighting. One party blames the other for corruption, the other blames them back for corruption. There is no solution."

Jitesh Nagpal, 20, university student

"For me the biggest issue is job opportunities. Whichever party creates more jobs for the new industries will get my vote because I will have to start looking for jobs very soon."

"I don't care much about parties, but there is just one clear candidate for victory and that is Narendra Modi. I don't think we have a better option to lead the country."

"I haven't seen any other strong candidate. I don't trust Rahul Gandhi yet. Maybe my views about him will change in the future, but not right now."

Rajanvir Singh Luthra, 23, YouTube vlogger

"Whichever government comes to power, the first thing they should do is to look after the poor because the rate of poverty is very high in India. No doubt, we now have digital India, we have everything online, but do something for the poor people also."

"India is still not on top. We don't have basic facilities. If you go to a government hospital, you have to stand in long lines. You can only go in after waiting and filling forms. A lot of our police officers and other officers are corrupt. There is a lot of corruption in India."

Monika Dalal, 20, psychology student

"Women's safety is the major issue for me. People are talking a lot about it and there are slogans like 'Save girl child, educate girl child,' being launched, but I don't think these concepts are applied to the roots with practicality. I have been to the villages and seen how girls are treated. They are not even educated and if they do go to school, they are forced to marry right after completing grade 12."

"Modi has done a lot definitely to help us establish ourselves globally and even in the U.N. By him visiting different countries we are getting recognition there. And they are coming up with some impressive projects to start in India, which has happened because of Modi. So, I think we have really progressed."

Kavita Srivastava, 18, studying banking and financial services

"The biggest issue in Delhi is girls' safety, which is still not 100%."

"Girls should feel safe leaving their homes and going out at whatever time of the night."

"I don't think Rahul Gandhi is the best option. I too am in support of Narendra Modi. I think he has the potential to take India to those heights."

Ashutosh Kumar Singh, 24, charity worker:

"The issues that should be important aren't even being discussed. We don't see or hear about them. The issue should be education and increasing the level of education. Employment should be an issue. And they are working toward that, but it is not considered an important issue. Currently, the state of politics is so lowly in India that people are just busy in pointing fingers and avoiding key issues."

Mohammad Anjar, 18, engineering student

"At present only Narendra Modi is fit to run this country because they have done a tremendous amount of work in the last five years. The Modi government is taking the country forward. At least, that is what I hear."

"Everyone should cast their votes. We all sit at home and say 'This government is not working, that government is not working.' Get out of your homes and vote as it is an invaluable weapon."

Associated Press videojournalist Shonal Ganguly contributed to this report.

DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.

The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.

“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”

Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.

The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.

Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.

“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”

It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.

“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”

Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.

First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”

Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.

“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”

For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.

“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

 John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

 Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

 Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)