Why in News?
The youth representation in the Indian Parliament was critically low from 1951–52 to 2024 according to data from the Association for Democratic Reforms.
- Young Lawmakers – It refers to the representation of young adults in the age group of 25-40 years in legislatures.
- Trends in Lok Sabha – Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) are typically middle aged and form a majority in most political parties.
- Young MPs – Most political parties’ MPs are aged 46 to 65.
- Congress has largest share of young MPs.
The Lok Sabha elected in 1998 was the youngest where the average age of its MPs was 46.4 years.
- Young MLAs – The young are underrepresented in state assemblies as well.
- After elections in 8 states in 2024, the share of MLAs aged 40 or younger is 10% or less.
- Arunachal Pradesh – No MLA aged 40 or younger.
- Jharkhand – 16% of its MLAs are under the age of 40.
Jharkhand is the youngest state assembly among the newly elected governments in 2024.
Reference
Business Standard| Young Lawmakers in India
