Voices of Gujarat: ‘Won’t Vote For Vikas’, ‘No Alternative to BJP’

Watch as a cattle rearer, a trader, and a transgender person talk about what will define their vote this election.

Watch what voices of Gujarat have to say about the upcoming assembly elections.

(Photo: The Quint)

‘The Police Does Nothing About Illegal Liquor in the State’: 38-Year-Old Cattle Rearer

38-year-old cattle rearer Ranjanben Patel is fed up with the shoddy implementation of liquor prohibition in the state.

We have so many widows because of this (sale and consumption of liquor and drugs). If you count, there is a widow in every third house in our village. They are all young, with small children to take care of. How will she live for the rest of her life like this?

Ranjanben Patel

The Surat voter adds that despite informing the authorities of the lack of implementation, there has been no response from the police or the politicians.

‘Not Voting in the Name of Vikas This Election’: 40-Year-Old Homemaker

Nidhi Patel, 40, has no hesitation in admitting that she will not vote for ‘vikas’ this election. According to the Ahmedabad-based homemaker, people have been through a lot in the name of ‘vikas’.

Modi ji is asking everybody – ‘Beti Bachaao Beti Padaao’. But education is so expensive that the common man cannot even afford it. The quotas are so high, that getting admission is very difficult.

Nidhi Patel

Patel is especially upset with the economic policies of note ban and GST. “Everything has become so expensive now, and as a homemaker, I need to think about these things.”

‘We Wan’t Our Community to Be Respected’: 30-Year-Old Transgender Person

30-year-old transgender woman Zia Kuvar is sure that she will vote for the Modi government this election. She believes the government has done well for the country and will continue to do so. However, she has one request from the government:

We want Modi ji to give us housing facilities like the ones provided in Indore and Bhopal.

Zia Kuvar

Still having to face the stigma around being a ‘hijra’, Kuvar adds that all she wants is the same respect that everybody else in the society gets.

‘There is No Alternative to BJP’: 61-Year-Old Trader

61-year-old Navin Bhai, a trader in Surat’s textile market, admits that GST and note ban has hurt traders, but adds that there is no alternative to the BJP in the current scenario.

We have issues like GST and note ban, but what PM Modi is doing is right. People are upset because of the the difficulties they’ve faced due to these policies. That’s why sometimes they think of not voting the BJP to power. But there is no other political alternative. If an alternative emerges, people will surely vote elsewhere.

Navin Bhai

Asked if Rahul Gandhi could pose as a viable opposition, the 61-year-old said: “Rahul Gandhi is not mature enough to leave an impression on an international level.”

‘We Would Want Quotas For Transgender Persons’

Akriti, the project manager at Lakshya Trust, an organisation working for sexual minorities, says that Gujarat is still lacking in creating a transgender welfare board. She adds that the state does not have facilities in government hospitals where transgender persons can go for medical help.

The kind of development that there is in other cities for the LGBTQ community, is not there is Vadodara. So we want them to talk about our education and employment.

Akriti

She adds that the government should think about educational scholarships and quotas for the community, to help facilitate their growth.

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(Voices of Gujarat: Tired of listening to netas make promises? As Gujarat goes to polls, The Quint wants to listen to the real voices of Gujarat – the voters. Tell us what issues matter to you this election season. Send in your videos to [e-mail] or WhatsApp @ [phone])