Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha raised the issue of youth participation in politics. Raghav Chadha enumerated figures ranging from the average age of the country to the youth population and also demanded reducing the age limit for contesting elections in the Upper House. He said that the average age of India is only 29 years. 65 percent of our country’s population is below 35 years of age. About 50 percent of the population is below 25 years of age. But are our leaders, our elected representatives also that young?
Raghav Chadha said that when the first Lok Sabha elections were held after the country’s independence, about 26 percent of the members in the first Lok Sabha were below 40 years of age. In the 17th Lok Sabha i.e. the previous Lok Sabha, only 12 percent of the members were below 40 years of age. He said that as the country is becoming young, our elected representatives are moving away from youth. Raghav said that we are a young country with old leaders. We have to take steps towards becoming a young country with young leaders.
He said that politics is seen as a bad profession. When the child grows up, the parents say that when the child grows up, he should become a doctor, engineer, sports person, chartered accountant etc. No one says that to become a leader, to go into politics. Raghav Chadha said that there is a need to encourage the youth to enter politics and for this I have come up with some suggestions. He said that the age limit for contesting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in our country is 25 years. I demand from the Government of India to reduce the age limit from 25 to 21 years.
Raghav Chadha said that if the youth wants to contest elections at the age of 21, then he should be allowed to contest. He said that when an 18 year old youth can elect the government by casting his vote then why can’t he contest elections at the age of 21 years.