Catching them young: Advani surfs the net, Rahul legs it out
New Delhi: One is 81 years old, the other 38. But each is taking a leaf out of the other's book in the hope of catching young voters in the upcoming parliamentary polls.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial hopeful, L.K. Advani, is journeying across cyberspace like Gen Y, while the Congress' youth icon and general secretary Rahul Gandhi is walking to the doorsteps of young voters - something the former has done all his life.
There are 43 million new voters in the electoral rolls for the April-May polls and a bulk of them are in the 18-30 age group. The younger voters are not believed to be loyal to any particular party - and so it makes sense for politicians to try and impress them.
"We will vote for the one who gives our village a degree college. Age, experience and party don't matter," says 20-something Chandrashekhar Singh, a student from Sarai Meer village in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district.
Tanu Sehgal, 24, working in a music production house in Delhi, says: "I will consider voting for a well-educated and experienced politician. Age for me is not a factor." And these are the votes that are being eyed.
While Advani has launched an internet campaign through Google and put it up on 2,000 websites, the Congress general secretary is travelling across the country, reaching out to people and mingling with youngsters.
The BJP has often said it has more young chief ministers than the Congress and harps on Advani's five decades of experience as against the sheltered existence of Rahul.
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