With roughly 21% of the population between the ages of 18 and 29, the youth has constantly managed to form a key part of the electorate during each election. Throughout the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, political parties aggressively wooed first-time voters through campaign videos with a youthful allure. Yet, the direct representation of this demographic has historically remained abysmal in parliament.
Saksham Arora says, “The youth wants to get into politics, they are feeling left out and also they’re not getting the representation that they want. These are the three reasons which make them contest elections now.” Arora, who has been studying youth participation in politics for a year now says, “Young people are becoming increasingly more interested in contesting elections. However, in large parts of Indian cities, the perception persists that politics is for criminals and illiterates which desists them from contesting.”
India’s National Youth Policy of 2014 defined ‘youth’ as people between the ages of 15 and 29. The youngest age to contest parliamentary elections in India is 25. Only 2.2% of elected parliamentarians were under the age of 30 in the 16th Lok Sabha.
The 2019 General Elections thus witnessed young and educated individuals with an inclination to serve and better society contest across 17 metropolitan cities in India. Holding graduate and post-graduate degrees in subjects ranging from engineering to theatre studies, 31 candidates brought to the fore a demand for greater youth representation in politics through their campaigns. Another common goal which resonated with them all was to bring back respect and dignity to the post of parliamentarians.
“The situation today is such that children never aspire to enter politics. No one speaks of wanting to become a parliamentarian- that’s how much the post has been defamed,” says Priyanka Shirole, a journalist who contested from Nashik and managed to acquire 2206 votes.
Better urban planning, employment, accessibility to their elected representatives, environment conservation, all formed issues many of these candidates raised during campaigns. In fact, Pankaj Patel a candidate from Jaipur claimed that he was running primarily to use the elevated platform to ask the government pressing questions. “We always approach any politician for help, feeling intimidated by their power. I felt that by contesting elections, I could rise up to their level and direct my questions to them better,” he says.
Patel totalled at 327 votes in this election, which he says was his very first. Increasing representation for the transgender community was also something which Kochi and Mumbai candidates Aswathi Rajappan and Suraj Kale respectively, brought to the table.
For many, the decision to not approach political parties for tickets stemmed from the fear that they may have to forego their autonomy and serve party interests before the general public’s. Feeling disillusioned by the current scheme of things, Visakhapatnam candidate Anmish Varma decided to contest independently almost out of spite.
“I find politics today to be very corrupt. So, I decided that I should begin something completely new by contesting independently. As an independent from a poor background, my victory itself would have meant a change in the system,” he says. Varma, who won gold for India at the Martial Arts World Championship among many other laurels believes that had he tried, his candidacy would easily have been backed by a party.
Another deterrence was the latter’s well-known reluctance to back young candidates, especially non-dynastic ones. In the 16th Lok Sabha, out of the 13 parliamentarians under the age of 30, at least 12 were from political families.
Many were still hopeful that by showing their ability to garner votes as an independent candidate this time, they would be able to contest on a party ticket next time and even claimed that offers had already begun arriving.
Preferring to contest independently than with a party they may not fully agree with, several candidates either funded their campaigns using money contributed by friends and family members or did it solely by themselves. Candidates Aditi Singh and Aswathi Rajagopalan also accepted funds from supporters through online and door-to-door campaigns, respectively. Banking on their communities and people they had performed social service for in the past.
But, the pinch of campaigning as a non-party candidate escaped no one. Lacking the glamour and grandeur of the conventional party-backed candidate, Pritesh Pandey felt like his simple campaign led through Raipur on the back of his motorcycle wasn’t taken seriously enough. “People would mock my campaign. It was as if they were expecting me to bring a four-wheeler, surrounded by 20-25 people, blasting music on loud-speakers while being clad in a white kurta. As if, they wouldn’t accept me without it,” he recalls.
Visakhapatnam candidate Amnish Verma says that he spent too much of his precious campaign time filing different forms, “Other party workers would finish those tasks for their candidate while the latter would campaign.”
Being the very first elections for most candidates, many were understandably perplexed about their campaigns. Mumbai and Delhi candidates Mitesh Varshney and Aditi Singh respectively say university-level election victories established their interest and efficacy for leadership roles. Similarly, civic leadership training programs like that conducted by the Bangalore Political Action Committee trained Shiva Mangesh, enough to convince him to run for parliament as the youngest candidate in Karnataka.
But not all of them had such experiences; for a few candidates, this election was simply exploring their potential in politics. A good turn out in the elections convinces some to choose this path as a career for the better. For Mumbai candidate Sai Shrivastav, his age often became a matter of laughter among potential voters, who didn’t think he had it in him. Sai ultimately managed to bag 1700 votes in his first-ever election, landing the 5th position among other candidates in his constituency. The less successful, promise to continue performing social work and activism.
There were also candidates who provided a source of inspiration and gave an impetus for others in their community to contest. Rajappan says, “For the next elections, I am preparing my friends to contest,” when asked if she would contest the next elections. Similarly, Pankaj Patel too says he plans on forming another party to encourage youth participation.
However, worldwide, only 1.7%of all MP’s are under the age of 30. With the rise of young leaders across the world like Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Aala Salah, one cannot underestimate the capability of the youth to govern, lead and mobilize. That the educated and young from India are willing to step into politics even as independents denote that perhaps this trend could tilt the figures in their favour in the future.