Ahmedabad: Ahead of civic polls in Gujarat, the opposition Congress in Vadodara city has adopted a novel strategy to attract young voters, promising to build coffee shops, which will serve as "dating destinations" for youngsters.


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The Congress' manifesto, which was released on Tuesday, promised to set up coffee shops for youngsters from the middle class and lower-middle-class backgrounds.


The party's city unit president, Prashant Patel, said if Congress is voted to power, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will build cafes, which will double up as dating destinations, adding such facilities are the need of the hour.



Patel said that these amenities will also generate employment for local people. 


Apart from cafes, the city Congress also promised to build clubhouses where women can organise kitty parties at affordable rates.



"Coffee shops or cafes are expensive. Youths from the middle and lower-middle-class can hardly afford to pay huge bills. We are in the 21st century and it is our duty to promote a culture where our youngsters can sit and enjoy private moments without any fear," Patel is quoted as saying by PTI.


Elections to six municipal corporations in Gujarat, including the BJP-ruled Vadodara Municipal Corporation, will take place on February 21. As many as 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats, and 231 taluka panchayats will go to polls on February 28. 


Notably, over 60,000 students take admission every year at state-run MS University and three to four private universities that have campuses in and around Vadodara city.