What does the first-time woman voter want? That was the question at the centre of The Quint's "Me, the Change" campaign, in partnership with Facebook. Over the course of six-odd months from October 2018 to March 2019, The Quint reported on the first-time woman voter, including achievers who were changing their world, one day at a time. As the country voted in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, these first-time women voters too participated in the elections. And they have a message for you!
An international rugby player from Nalanda district in Bihar, Sweta Shahi learnt how to play the sports through YouTube videos. Her demand from the incoming government in 2019 was for a rugby field to be constructed in her village, so she could practice the sport properly. Sweta voted in the last phase of the 2019 general elections on 19 May 2019.
Speaking on the experience of voting for the first-time, Sweta said,
Sweta also posted photos on Facebook, writing of her joy to be able to cast vote in the "festival of democracy."
Shikha is a RJ from West Bengal, with a twist. She is the first person in the country to host a program in Santhali and her radio show is another attempt by her to popularise & propagate the Santhali language in the country. Shikha cast her vote on 12 May 2019. Expressing her thrill at being able to vote for the first time, she said,
When Anshu was 15 years old, her life changed forever. She was sleeping outside her home in Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, when a 55-year-old neighbour threw acid over her face. Now Anshu is 21 years old, and is an activist, working as a motivational speaker and as a Library Manager at the Sheroes Hangout cafe in Lucknow. "Humko bahut hi accha laga aur bahut hi alag si feeling thi," Anshu said on her experience for voting for the first-time.
“Play like a man.” That’s what Jahan Geet was told when she first started learning how to play dhol. “I will play like a girl,” she reiterated, and that’s exactly what she has done. Playing dhol is usually considered to be a male activity, but Jahaan Geet persisted, and since then has been featured on TV and in magazines, with her dhol in tow.
When she voted on 19 May 2019 in Chandigarh, she was elated. She said,
Did you vote for the first-time in 2019 too? Let us know in the comments below!
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)