Last Updated on 02/08/2024 by wccexam Desk
Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Thursday demanded during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that the minimum age for contesting elections in India be reduced from the current 25 years to 21 years. Chadha said that this will help in increasing the participation of youth in Indian politics. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Chadha said, “India is one of the youngest countries in the world. 65 percent of our population is below 35 years of age and 50 percent of the population is below 25 years of age.”
Chadha said when the first Lok Sabha was elected after independence, 26 per cent of the members were below 40 years of age. “In the 17th Lok Sabha (the previous Lok Sabha), only 12 per cent of the members were below 40 years of age… We are a young country with old politicians, we should aspire to be a young country with young politicians,” Chadha said. “I have a suggestion for the Indian government: the minimum age for contesting elections should be reduced from 25 years to 21 years,” he said.
Parliamentary committee has also advocated
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This is not the first time that there has been a demand to reduce the minimum age for contesting elections. Last year, a parliamentary committee advocated lowering the minimum age for contesting Lok Sabha and assembly elections by seven years, saying that this would give equal opportunities to the youth to participate in democracy. It had specifically recommended reducing the minimum age for contesting Lok Sabha or assembly elections from the current 25 years to 18 years.
As per the existing legal framework, a person must be at least 25 years of age to contest Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The minimum age to become a member of Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Council is 30 years.
what did the committee say
The parliamentary committee, after “examining the rules in various countries such as Canada, the UK and Australia”, found that the minimum age for candidacy in national elections should be 18 years. The examples of these countries demonstrate that young persons can be credible and responsible political participants, the committee said.
The panel, headed by late BJP leader and former MP Sushil Modi, found that reducing the minimum age requirement for candidacy in elections would provide equal opportunities to young individuals to participate in democracy.
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Age to contest elections in different countries
Britain- The minimum age to contest elections in Britain from local to national level is 18 years. Other eligibility criteria to contest elections here include being a British citizen, a citizen of a Commonwealth country, or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this, it is necessary to be a voter of the area you want to represent.
Australia- In Australia, a person must be 18 years of age or older to run for public office at federal, state or local government level. The youngest member of the House of Representatives was 20-year-old Wyatt Roy, elected at the 2010 federal election. The age to contest election was then lowered from 21 to 18 by amending the Electoral Act 1918 (in 1973).
Canada- In Canada, the minimum age to be eligible to run for election to an elected house (municipal, provincial, federal) is 18 years or older. Prior to 1970, the minimum age was 21.
Chile- The minimum age to run for election in Chile varies depending on the type of election. For presidential elections, the minimum age is 35. Before the reforms in 2005, the minimum age was 40, and from 1925 to 1981 it was 30. For senators the minimum age is 35 (it was 40 between 1981 and 2005) and for deputies the minimum age is 21 (it was 35 between 1925 and 1970).
China- Talking about China, the minimum age to be elected as President or Vice President is 45 years. In China, the minimum age to contest elections varies. For representatives of the National People’s Congress (NPC), provincial and municipal, members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the minimum age is 18 years. For members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the minimum age is 18 years. At the same time, the minimum age to contest the presidential and vice-president elections is 45 years. For members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the minimum age is usually around 40-50 years.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)