As Maharashtra readies to vote representatives to its 288-member Legislative Assembly on 20 November, a trend is becoming increasingly clear — that unemployment is a critical issue in the state this election.
Earlier a pre-poll survey, conducted by MIT-SOG-Lokniti-CSDS, indicated that unemployment was the top concern of one in every four voters in Maharashtra.
And now that the BJP-led Mahayuti as well as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have released their respective manifestos, both political blocs seem to have acknowledged joblessness in the state — promising to dole out sops to the unemployed youth if they come to power.
The Mahayuti comprises of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and the BJP while the MVA comprises Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the Congress.
Last month, The Quint reported that a staggering 10.8 percent of the state's young population (15-29 years) is jobless. And that unemployment is the highest among graduates at 11.3 percent. In addition, the distribution of jobs is unfairly skewed against women, while most urban employees don’t even have a written contract.
In this story, we compare each bloc’s promises to Maharashtra’s voters on how they propose to tackle unemployment and improve working conditions.