Give a bride and get my votes, say youth voters in Haryana

Jind (Haryana), Sep 24 : In a bid to draw the attention of the lawmakers about the prevailing mass unemployment due to which prospective grooms remain bachelors, youths in Haryana's Jind district have launched a campaign to highlight their plight.

Holding banners of 'Bahu do, Vote lo' (Give us brides to get our votes), what these jobless young men from Kunwara Union, or Bachelors' Union, expect the least from politicians ahead of the October 13 State Assembly elections is just a bride.

The growing unemployment is creating problems for young men to find suitable brides.
Hundreds of villages in the state are short of girls of a marriageable age, compounded further by decades of prevalent female foeticide, forcing young Haryanvi males to get brides from other states.

The union has thus found a novel shortcut to rid them of all their problems, demanding a bride instead of poll gifts like liquor, food grains or even a job.

'It is election time again and these politicians try to lure voters. Today unemployment has forced men to remain bachelors in many villages but most of our politicians do not look into it. Even in our society cases of female foeticide is increasing,' said Sandeep, a member of the Kunwara Union.

'We only want the politicians to eradicate unemployment, female foeticide and find ways to get bachelors married,' said Pawan, another activist.

Haryana has one of the worst sex ratios in the country, 800 women per 1,000 men.

--ANI