Indian Politics & Policy Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2020 | Page 110

Indian Politics & Policy
young people are gradually catching up
with other ages as far as voting is concerned.
Secondly, while there was more
or less an equal increase in the BJP’s vote
share among young voters and others
from 2014, the youth vote for the party
was about 4 percentage points higher
than the party’s overall vote share and
hence they undoubtedly played a significant
role in the spectacular performance
of the party. The work done by
the BJP-led NDA government at the
Center, but more importantly the trust
and the leadership quality of Narendra
Modi, attracted young voters to the BJP.
Additionally, due to a strong and aggressive
campaign in comparison to the
weak campaign strategies of the other
parties, the BJP was able to attract late
deciders in their favor. The opposition
party failed miserably at highlighting
issues like unemployment, demonetization,
GST, and the economy, as well as
at mobilizing voters in their favor. Despite
unemployment being the biggest
poll issue for young voters, it did not
prevent them from voting for the BJP.
The Pulwama attack had an indirect impact
on vote choice in favor of the BJP.
However, the one factor that surpassed
the others in attracting young voters to
the BJP was Narendra Modi and his being
the undisputed leader in the prime
ministerial race.
Notes
1 The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their detailed and constructive
reviews of this paper.
2 Mandhana Niharika, “India Confronts Demographic Bulge of Young People,” Wall Street
Journal, January 22, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/indias-challenge-so-many-youngpeople-so-few-good-jobs-1516381400.
Mihir Sharma, “India’s Burgeoning Youth are the
World’s Future,” Livemint, September 8, 2017, https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/2WSy5Z
GR9ZO3KLDMGiJq2J/Indias-burgeoning-youth-are-the-worlds-future.html.
3 Arun Kumar, “Parties Vie for Youth Vote in Bihar,” Hindustan Times, March 26, 2019, https://
www.hindustantimes.com/lok-sabha-elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019-parties-vie-foryouth-vote-in-bihar/story-YmUn3IaaPPPK78ksAn40PI.html;
Saumya Tiwari, “45 Million
New, Young Voters could Play a Key Role in 2019 Elections,” Scroll, February 20, 2019, https://
scroll.in/article/913411/data-check-45-million-new-young-voters-could-play-a-key-role-in-
2019-elections.
4 Mann Ki Baat (literally “Heart's Voice”) is an Indian program hosted by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in which he addresses the people of the nation on All India Radio, DD National,
and DD News.
5 Lester W. Milbrath and M.L. Goel, Political Participation: How and Why do People get Involved
in Politics? (Rand McNally College Publishing Company, 1977); Sidney Verba and Norman H.
Nie, Participation in America (New York: Harper and Row, 1972).
6 Milbrath and Goel, Political Participation, 14.
7 Roksolana Suchowerska, “A Generational Model of Youth's Engagement in Politics,” International
Review of Modern Sociology 39 (2013): 89–109.
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