Mandir signals green, jobs hit red

From Dehradun to Delhi, Haridwar to Mumbai, AJINKYA KAWALE gets inside track on voter sentiment on board the Vande Bharat and Haridwar AC Express

- AJINKYA KAWALE

At the Dehradun railway station, passengers queue up for selfies with the sleek, eight-coach Vande Bharat Express, poised to cover the 300-kilometre (km) journey to Delhi in roughly five hours. However, Jitendra Meena (name changed), a railway employee from Rajasthan, remains unmoved by the excitement surrounding him.

"In this election year, we see politics revolving around caste and religious divides, while employment remains a pressing issue. I hold no expectations from any government," he laments.

Meena, in his 30s and responsible for a family of four, highlights that most of his peers remain unemployed despite migrating from their villages in pursuit of work. Even those fortunate enough to secure employment settle for reduced wages, he adds.

Meena's dissatisfaction extends to his job within the railway sector.

"Everything gets outsourced to contractors. I faced a 24-day suspension without pay when my supervisor discovered cleanliness issues in one of the coaches. The contractor faced no repercussions," he recounts.

Meena's discontent mirrors the findings of the India Employment Report, jointly released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Institute for Human Development.

Despite a decline in the country's unemployment rate from 5.8 per cent in 2019 to 4.1 per cent in 2022, the numbers remain high compared to the 2.1 per cent rate recorded in 2012. Additionally, the report underscores the prevalence of low-quality jobs with diminished earnings, exacerbating the employment crisis.

As political campaigns intensify and candidates crisscross the nation canvassing for votes, conversations among train passengers offer insights into the electorate's prevailing concerns topmost on the minds. Even those awaiting trains at railway stations eagerly engage in discussions about the imminent general elections.