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State polls: Noida sees increased youth participation this time
Of the 39 candidates in the fray, seven are in their 20s, while only four are over 60, according to data shared by the office of the district election commission
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Gautam Budh Nagar has a relatively young pool of candidates fighting the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls this time. Of the 39 candidates in the fray, seven are in their 20s, while only four are over 60, according to data shared by the office of the district election commission. Whereas, during the 2017 election, of the 39 contesting candidates, only three were in their 20s and one was over the age of 60.
Gautam Budh Nagar goes to polls on February 10 during the first phase of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly election.
This time, in the Noida assembly constituency, seven of the 13 candidates are in their 20s while there is no candidate over 60. In 2017, of the 15 candidates from Noida, two were in their 20s and one was over 60.
The youngest candidate in Gautam Budh Nagar is 25-year-old Nitish Kumar from Rashtriya Janata Party who is contesting from Noida. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Pankaj Awana (27) and Congress candidate Pankhuri Pathak (29), both contesting from Noida, are also under 30.
Other candidates in their 20s are Kush Kumar (27) from Bharatiya Jan Jagriti Party, Ashish Sharma (29) from Loktantrik Janshakti Party, Rohit (28) from Rashtrawadi Janlok Party and independent candidate Yeshu Singh (27).
Experts say that an increasing participation of the younger generation is good for democracy, especially in a country that has a higher population of younger people compared to the elderly.
“Relatively younger people filing nominations shows that there is a growing political vigour and a feeling of initiative among the youth of this region. The fact that campaigns are being conducted online also attracts more people, since this provides younger individuals who do not have a very strong financial background a better opportunity . The younger population is also well versed with social media and can get their points across to a larger population now,” said Dr Shalini Saxena, associate professor (political science), Amity University, Gautam Budh Nagar.
According to AAP’s Pankaj Awana, the participation of the younger generation in the electoral process is important for democracy. “As a young candidate, I want to help the people of Noida deal with the common problems they face. I know I have the energy and the will to work for the people that big leaders and parties lack,” said Awana.
However, there no candidate in his/her 20s from Jewar and Dadri constituencies this time. In 2017, one 29-year-old candidate fought in Dadri while there was no candidate under 30 in Jewar then either.
In Dadri, there is just one candidate over the age of 60. At 68, Tejpal Nagar is the oldest candidate in all three constituencies of Gautam Budh Nagar. However, the sitting MLA from Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is also one of the strongest contenders for the Dadri seat. His main opposition is from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) -- 42-year-old Manveer Singh.
Jewar has the largest pool of older candidates, including all the stalwarts contesting from this seat. Jewar has three candidates who are over 60. The Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate Avtar Singh Bhadana is 64, BSP candidate Narendra Kumar is 63 and Sarva Samaj Party candidate Neeru Walia is 65.
Traditionally, Jewar is the stronghold of the SP and BSP and the two parties will be giving a tough competition to the sitting BJP MLA this time as well. Though the candidates from both major opposition parties are older, they also have greater political experience. Bhadana is a four-time MP and sitting MLA from the Meerapur constituency in Muzaffarnagar, who recently left the BJP to join RLD. At 55, BJP’s candidate and sitting MLA Dhirendra Singh is also a seasoned leader in the region and has a lot of development work to his credit.
