Asia | Young and conservative

Even disillusioned young Indian voters favour Narendra Modi

They worry about their future, but do not blame the BJP

Photograph: Getty Images
|PATNA

India is a young country: around two-fifths of its 1.4bn people are under the age of 25. That makes them an important constituency in the general election, which will end on June 4th. Getting their vote is not straightforward. Just before the election, data released by the election commission showed that less than 40% of eligible first-time voters were registered to vote. Some youngsters are disappointed with what they perceive to be a lack of economic progress since the last general election, in 2019. “I am voting for NOTA,” shrugs Jitender Kumar, a 24-year-old from Katihar, a small city in the eastern state of Bihar. NOTA stands for “none of the above”.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Young and conservative”

From the May 4th 2024 edition

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