Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls: City of bangle makers looks for change

As Firozabad goes to polls on Sunday, glass workers seek better conditions, higher wages and health care

“I will vote for change.” That is what Moham­mad Shafeeq, a bangle maker of Firozabad, says he will do on Sunday when the third phase of polling is held in Uttar Pradesh.

What may sound as an oft-cited, cliched expression is anchored in urgent, immediate concerns. Asked what change mea­ns to him, the 22-year-old first-time voter says: “Good working conditions, medical facilities and better wages.”

Not just Shafeeq, but many others working at the unit where he’s employed, Kohinoor Bangle Industries, will vote for the same cause.

The district of Firozabad, known as the glassmaking hub of India, employs over 20,000 workers in