Raipur Apparently with an eye on youth voters ahead of assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to address a youth convention Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur on September 2. The state boasts a substantial youth population, with approximately 48 lakh individuals falling between the ages of 18 and 29. Notably, among these, about 4.43 lakh are first-time voters. Recognizing the pivotal role of young voters, both major political parties are directing their efforts towards establishing a strong rapport with them. Rahul Gandhi’s engagement in Raipur aligns seamlessly with this strategy, aiming to capture the essence of youth sentiment. The focus on the youth voter base is underscored by concrete statistics: Total registered voters in the state: 19.7 million Male voters: 9.82 million Female voters: 9.85 million Differently-abled voters: 1.47 million Third gender voters: 762 First-time voters: 4.43 lakh Voters aged 18 to 29: Approximately 4.8 million The Congress party’s promises to the youth include successful fulfillment of manifesto commitments, including unemployment allowances disbursed to over 1,22,625 unemployed youths, amounting to more than 112 crore rupees in the past four months. Establishment of 13,269 Rajiv Youth Clubs across the state, receiving annual funding of up to 1 lakh rupees each. Substantial release of job vacancies across diverse departments like PCS, education, forest management, and police. Skill-enhancing training programs based on educational qualifications. In the same vein, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leaders have also been actively engaging with the youth electorate. They have been championing the achievements of the Modi government during its nine-year tenure and raising concerns about the opposition’s strategies. The BJYM has highlighted alleged irregularities in PCS recruitment and criticized the complexity of unemployment allowance disbursement rules.
