Saturday, 23 November 2024
Saturday, 23 November 2024
More job opportunities, lower cost of living, and smoother traffic. That’s what young, working people in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, and elsewhere in Maharashtra seem to want from whoever is declared the winner in the Assembly election on Saturday.
Maharashtra, the third-largest Legislative Assembly in India, held its single-phase election on November 20 for its 288 seats. This election saw a strong voter turnout, the highest since 1995.
The political contest was intense, with the Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP, facing off against the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP).
In the 2019 elections, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won 161 seats, but since then, the political landscape of the state changed with splits in the Shiv Sena and the NCP.
The Telegraph Online spoke to several young working people across the state for a dipstick survey. Here’s what they said.
‘Check soaring prices of essential commodities’
Mikhil Gupta
CA, Dombivli
The soaring prices of essential commodities such as food, fuel and utilities are straining household budgets. Inflation continues to erode purchasing power, making it difficult for middle- and lower-income groups to sustain a decent quality of life.
The job market has become highly competitive, especially for the youth. With a surge in the educated work force, finding suitable employment has become a daunting task, further compounded by the lack of skill alignment between candidates and industry requirements.
I think the upcoming governments and private sectors can collaborate to generate more employment opportunities by investing in startups, promoting vocational training, and incentivising industries to expand.
Programmes that focus on skill development can bridge the gap between job seekers and market demands, empowering the youth and reducing unemployment.
Introducing subsidies for essential items like food, health care, and education can ease financial burdens on families.
Affordable access to quality education can equip individuals with the skills needed for better jobs, fostering economic stability in the long term.
‘Control inflation, create quality jobs, improve public health care and education’
Aditi Govind Patil
Advertising professional, Navi Mumbai
Maharashtra – specially cities like Mumbai – faces significant challenges. Political instability disrupts progress while skyrocketing real-estate prices make housing unaffordable for the common man. The rising cost of living, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent access to basic utilities, adds to the daily struggles of residents. People are yearning for stability and relief in their everyday lives.
The new government must prioritise stable governance to ensure long-term growth. Affordable housing, better infrastructure, and consistent access to water and electricity are urgent needs.
Controlling inflation, creating quality jobs, and improving public healthcare and education will go a long way in addressing the aspirations of Maharashtra’s people. A government that listens and acts inclusively can truly transform lives.
‘People expect solutions that bring real change, like better roads’
Hema Singh,
Advertising professional, Palghar
The challenges of living in Maharashtra are plenty, from rising inflation and erratic public transport, to Mumbai traffic to to insufficient water supply and frequent power outages in many areas of the state.
It is time for the upcoming government/party to deliver on their promises, not just during the advertising period or before the election but throughout their tenure.
People expect solutions that bring real change like better roads specially during monsoon, improved public transport, affordable housing, and policies that address unemployment.
Healthcare and education infrastructure need significant upgrades to match the needs of a growing population.
Also, I feel the government must prioritise environmental sustainability, ensuring a balance between development and ecological preservation for the future generations.
‘Prioritise addressing climate change, economic inequality, healthcare access’
Vaidavi Vilas Nare
Private sector employee, Mumbai
In the next five years, I believe government and politics should focus on transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. Leaders must prioritise addressing climate change, economic inequality, and healthcare access while ensuring policies are evidence-based and solutions-driven.
‘Implement measures to curb the traffic’
Tamojit Ghosh
Banker, Mumbai
The major concern still remains the same which is of the traffic and commute, the entire city gets dug up for repairs, the new roads or flyovers take a lot of time to be built.
The commute to work and home is eating a huge time from our daily lives. The new government definitely has to expedite all the pending works going on and also implement measures to curb the traffic or else it will get worse with the influx of people into the city every year.
‘Promote affordable housing projects, improve public transport’
Devi Prasanna Pradhan
Financial sector employee, Pune
Living in Maharashtra, especially in Pune, has its own set of challenges like finding affordable housing, especially if you work around hubs like Hinjewadi or Kharadi. If you stay far, navigating the city can be tough due to unreliable public transportation.
I hope the new government will promote affordable housing projects and improve public transportation infrastructure to make life easier for newcomers.
The government should look at the plight of the roads. Intercity connectivity has improved with expressways but intracity commute is worrisome with a growing population.
Similarly, the government should have some regulations brought in to keep a check on rents and real-estate prices. And like Mumbai, Pune should also be considered as A1 city for HRA calculation.
‘Better working laws for salaried employees’
Nidhishree Singh
Writer, Mumbai
Currently, I feel the problem of living in Maharashtra is poor connectivity within cities. For example, it takes two hours to reach BKC from Malad even after the metro opening. My expectations from the new government are improvement in traffic management. Also, introduction of better working laws for salaried employees – fixed working hours, paid overtime – should be made.
‘Roti, kapda, makan’
Prakash Khandare
Communications professional, Mumbai
The people of Maharashtra still believe in the concept of roti, kapda, aur makan [food, clothing, housing]. Better roads, slum-free Mumbai, housing, better conditions of farmers and overall corruption-free government are must for a developed Maharashtra.
I believe the upcoming government should focus on a corruption-free state and also put more focus on women safety and strict measures to curb criminals as well as protecting the rights of the farmers.
