Youth in Politics-A Long Wait

Politics as a system and a concept is one which I believe to be a look easy on paper but is very complex and dynamic in actuality. The public image of politics is not hidden from the common public. The image of corrupt, inefficient and selfish "workers" with a good marketing strategy. With their fake promises and empathy for citizens displayed in large scale rallies and a good photo op, politicians have specialized themselves in putting up a show for the sole purpose of staying in power but forgetting their promises and duties towards the voters after they are in the ruling chair. But there are exceptions everywhere. We all know some real good politicans who have had a hard, struggling time to rise up to their ranks and have won seats neither by doing dirty work nor by nepotism but on the basis of their hardwork and dedication which they poured in for public service and gained their support which ensures them as a strong candidate till date. These good candidates decided to enter in the cage match and lock horns with the evils of the system because they wanted to see the change just like all of us want to. 

To start dialogue and debate at legislative levels, to make substantial change and support the voice of citizens who unitedly stand against a problem we need a representative who can dedicate most of his/her time which can happen only in the prime years and youth of an individual's life. This doesn't point out that an aged candidate is necessarily corrupted but could not be as efficient and relatable to the young people in consideration of his age and health although bringing in tons of experience. This is where the new generations play an important role. 

For past so many years we have been hearing about the importance of the participation of youth in politics but unfortunately we don't see many entering the competition. When someone utters the word 'politician', the first image that comes to the mind is that of an old, grey haired person with a huge belly winning his constituency for the 15th time in his/her career. Currently out of 167 democratic countries,only 15.5% of the Members of Parliament in these countries are below the age of 40 and the average age of a politician in the world is 53. In India, which has the youngest population in the world and the highest number of young people with 65% of people below the age of 35, only 12% of the Lok Sabha constitutes of members less than the age of 35. The average age of a member of the current Lok Sabha is 55. These statistics make India a young country only in terms of population but not political representation. 

Because of lack of young politicians important topics like climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, racial discrimination and ethnic diversity, media independence, communal politics, information privacy, net neutrality and educational betterment are very conveniently sidelined and no or very little dialogue and action takes place about them.Youngsters are actively participating in protests and working to raise awareness be it through social media or by organizing NGOs and protests. Our generation is more politically aware and takes active participation in political debates and dialogue and is critical about the actions taken by their ministers and members of legislation. This is probably the best thing about us.We are concerned for the future and want to do something to make it safer, better, progressive and diverse. But still we have way less representatives in legislatures and senates around the world. 

Why does this political awareness not reflect when it comes to taking politics as a career? This is due to the perception of politics and the way it is portrayed as a career. Only people in their 60s run the game; 

Only people with loads of money should get into the mess; Once you enter the race you ought to become selfish and corrupt-- the common perception of people about the field.

Besides this financial burdens, social pressures and job security are some key reasons why most youngsters who actually are interested in politics tend to take up careers like law, journalism, activism, civil services and more, eventually never turning back to politics even though they actually get in a better place after pursuing these professions to become a politician. 

Another key reason for young politicians to not rise is no role models to look upto and less motivation to get into the field. This is because media houses rarely and many of them never bring out stories and names of these young leaders. Chandrani Murmu,aged 27,from Odisha is the youngest member of the Lok Sabha currently but this is the first time many of you are even reading this name. Jamyang Namgyal, aged 34, the MP from Ladakh, is a rather popular young politician who in the recent past became popular for his heartfelt speech in the Lok Sabha after the historic amendment of Article 370 revoking the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Jaiveer Shergill, a lawyer turned politician from the Congress Party; Aditya Thackeray, successor of the the popular Thackeray political family who was elected from Worli as an MLA for the state of Maharashtra from the Shivsena; Dushyant Chautala, the current Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, Tejasvi Surya, a 28 year old Member of Parliament representative of Bangalore South constituency are some upcoming young politicians in India. In International politics, 34 year old Sanna Marin became the Prime Minister of Finland the youngest sitting PM of any country till now.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,Jacinta Ardern, Justin Trudeau, Sebastian Kurz, Leo Varadkar and Emmanuel Macron are some very popular young political figures around the world. 

Politics, as a career is definitely no piece of cake. You have to do continuous rallies, be under the spotlight, be good at public speaking and aware of the statements you give as you are continuously under the scrutiny of the public. There is internal pressurizing, fear of becoming a bygone, interference in personal lives and many more challenges. But then again every profession has its pros and cons. If an individual is actually interested in the field then he/she should definitely consider it. A former politician's descendant or a rich businessman definitely has a stronger and easier chance to get into politics. But that doesn't make it impossible for a common man to get in. An individual starting young has a greater chance of staying in the long run than someone who starts later. Starting from grass root levels like college councils,social organizations, then working for a political party or even as an independent candidate, working under a leader and gaining experience, doing noticeable work will get you a contesting ticket. Then contesting locally, working honestly after winning and after sufficient experience moving on to higher levels in the hierarchy is the way to achieve success in the field. Another advantage for young people to be elected  is that everyone is tired of seeing greyheads in the administration. As the number of young voters increase every year they want to see a new fresh face in politics who brings out their problems, stands to support them and someone who they can connect with. Thus, most people would vote for a good younger candidate than an older one and this is evidently seen in elections around the world. 

In conclusion, I bring up words of Mahatma Gandhi who said "Be the change you want to see in the world." These words cannot be more true. If our generation wants to see substantial change we need to step up on the political level and ensure our better future. We can't keep blaming the older generations to have ruined and scrammed resources and rights because that will make no progress but actually working about it and taking up leadership positions will. The blame game and hypocrisy are important reasons why politics right now is a mess and this can't be prevalent in our time. We can stop this only by getting into the game.If you are unhappy that the ruling government is not good, then become the next one. If you are unhappy about the inefficiency of the government, then become the opposition and pressurize them. We have seen throughout history oligarchs, dictators and cruel rulers being thrown out of power because of revolutions and actions taken by young leaders. More young people in politics is essential for our future because we are the ones who will be living on this earth for the next coming years and we will be the ones to make sure our successors do too. We are now responsible to change the bad image of politics around the world as politics is good or bad only because of the people in it. We cannot give up on democracy and sit idle. Instagram Stories, online petitions and park discussions will not change things but votes will. In the last 2019 election, India saw the youngest voter turnout and in 2024 there will be more number of voters but more importantly most of you readers and I will vote for the first time next elections. Make sure that you choose young, good candidates who take up progressive issues and are honest to their work who don't play the politics of hate and communalism. Vote for the candidates you personally support rather than voting for those your parents have been voting for since past many years because many say they don't but every vote matters. Your vote matters.