Bihar assembly elections: Education, migration & corruption main concerns of first-time voters

Ahead of the Bihar state assembly elections, college students expressed their disappointment with the lack of job opportunities that has forced several of their seniors to leave the state in search of work.

The students, many of whom are first-time voters, stated that they want a government that can strengthen the education system while also creating jobs.

They also expressed dissatisfaction with irregular government job postings, which were frequently marred by paper leaks and delayed exam schedules.

According to Election Commission data, approximately 14 lakh youth are expected to vote for the first time in the state's assembly elections, which will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, respectively. Voters aged 18 to 29, totalling 1.63 crore, account for an estimated 22-25 per cent of the state's electorate.

"Our hopes from the present government have faded completely," Abhinav Kumar Shukla, a postgraduate student in Patna University's Hindi Department, told PTI, as he worked on practice sets for his STET exams in a corridor connecting the English Department to its French-style administrative block.

Shukla, who is from Bhabhua in Kaimur district, believes there is a need for "widespread employment generation within the state".

Santosh Kumar, a visually challenged student of Patna College who hails from Jamui district, told the news agency, "Patna University's present must match its past. Its alumni are par excellence, but its present state is below par."

Patna College, once known as the 'Oxford of the East', is now sparsely occupied, with untrimmed grass on the ground and nearly empty corridors.

Patna University had been a hotbed of political activism, producing renowned intellectuals, thinkers, and literary figures, among others.

It has produced political leaders ranging from Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar to JP Nadda. Political sharpness remains in the veins of university students.

On the question of central university status for Patna University, Santosh said, "The condition of central universities is no better, but we will definitely root for that status for our university."

Several students with benchmark disabilities told PTI that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, was not being implemented properly, and that they would vote for a party that promises to improve Bihar’s education system, as it would ensure the implementation of the act.

For many first-time voters in Bihar, prominent issues apart from the sorry state of affairs in education include an inadequate health sector, rampant migration, and mass migration.

Prashant Kishor's claim that "Bihar's youth won't have to go outside the state for work" if his party, Jan Suraaj, is voted to power, seems to have struck with some of them.

At least he is speaking on things that matter, making practical poll promises, and his candidates are clean,” Gaurav Kumar, a postgraduate student in Psychology Department, said — although he maintains that chances for Kishor’s party’s victory are slim.

Another Patna College student from Purnea, who wanted to remain anonymous, stated that the "implementation of the New Education Policy is shoddy on the ground".

He hopes to see the emergence of a young leader with fresh perspectives "who can understand the nuances of present-day education requirements."