Youth wings scramble to woo youngsters in Karnataka

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, the youth wings of all three major political parties — BJP, Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) — in Karnataka are trying to engage with young voters.

Bengaluru:

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, the youth wings of all three major political parties — BJP, Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) — in Karnataka are trying to engage with young voters.

While the ruling BJP’s youth wing is connecting with young voters by hosting meet and greet events by Union ministers and senior leaders of the party, the youth wings of the opposition Congress and JD (S) are reaching out to young voters on employment and inflation issues.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress is connecting with the youth by raising various issues pertaining to them. The Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (KPYCC) is focusing on problems like unemployment and inflation and trying to engage them through the ‘Yuva Dhwani’ programme. The party has promised a monthly stipend of ₹3,000 for every unemployed graduate and ₹1,500 for unemployed diploma holders under Yuva Nidhi, if elected to power in Karnataka.

The KPYCC leaders said that they had conducted unemployment surveys in all districts to understand the issues from the grassroots level. General Secretary of National Youth Congress M.S. Raksha Ramaiah has been given the responsibility of attracting first-time voters and youth. He recently launched the “Yuva Mata” campaign to attract youngsters to voting booths.

“First-timers would be attracted towards Congress for its comprehensive development of the State. We have also announced a monthly stipend programme for unemployed youths. As an opposition party, it is our responsibility to create awareness among youth about problems like unemployment and inflation being faced in the State,” Mr. Ramaiah said.

BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) has been trying to reach out to the youth with various initiatives and also giving information about the schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party has also conducted Yuva Samvada events across the state.