Parties to play youth card to win polls

Khammam: The number of young voters in the Khammam Parliamentary constituency is high compared to the remaining constituencies in the State. Young voters, especially in the age group of 18 to 35, constitute a major part of voters base in all the seven Assembly constituencies - Khammam, Wyra, Kothagudem, Madhira, Ashwaraopet, Paleru and Sattupalli - of the Khammam Parliamentary seat.

Due to the wide publicity carried out by the district administration to encourage the people to register for voting recently, new electorates have grown immensely in the last few months. Over 80,000 new voters registered their voting rights in the five constituencies in Khammam district.

At present, there are 15,13,094 voters in the entire Khammam Parliamentary constituency and of them, 7,93,760 voters are aged between 18 to 35. They constitute more than half of registered voters and the percentage might increase when we look at demographics of voters who voted after the elections. Among them, 3,93,213 are men, 4,00,488 are women and 59 are others.

With young voters forming more than half of voters in the constituency, the contesting candidates of all political parties and their followers are trying to gain their support. As young voters would be attracted towards promises of employment opportunities, educational reimbursements and grants to unemployed, the parties are competing with each other to shower young people with benefits of unemployment and promises of better future.

They are also promising a mining university, tribal university, Bayyaram Steel Plant, besides a medical college with a hospital and a training centre to help the youth take up entrepreneurship.

With all the political parties offering new universities and industries in the district, only the time will reveal who the youth of Khammam have chosen to lead them.