Youths rue lack of young candidates

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Bhubaneswar: As the state of Odisha enters into the fourth and final phase of election 2019, political experts and youths have expressed disappointment in the lack of young candidates in the elections.
According to the figures available with the CEO’s office out of a total population of 4.46 crore, there are about 1.20 crore falling between the age group of 18-30 in the state. However, in the all four phases of elections there are only 30.36% candidates falling under the same age group.
“Youths are the future of the country and of the state. The disinterest amongst the youngsters for politics is a matter of concern. While it’s true that elections are usually contested among veterans but parties should focus on fielding younger candidates,” said Bibhuti Bhusan, a political analyst here.
Among the four phases of elections, there are more than 1,120 candidates fighting for 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies. Out of these candidates only 340 (30.3%) are of age group of 25-40 years while more than 630 (56.2%) are between 41 and 60 years.
The third phase polling which concluded April 23 had the highest number of candidates for 6 Parliamentary and 42 Assembly constituencies. About 356 ran for prominent seats from Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar district.
The highest number of youths is observed in Khurda district, thanks to youth-centric Bhubaneswar assembly, the number of younger candidates is marginally low. For about 5.58 lakhs population falling in the age group 20-30 there were only 124 (35%) out of 356 candidates falling under the same age group.
“We are aware of the politics around us. But we would like to see younger candidates, someone with whom we can relate. We have utmost respect and support for many of the senior leaders in politics but a younger politician can understand youth issues better,” said a student at Utkal University.
Even Keonjhar, where the 26-year old Chandrani Murmu is the youngest candidate to participate in 2019 elections, has a population of 4.13 lakh youth, but only 35% of candidates fall in the age group of 20-30.
“Unemployment has been a major issue for the youth. While there are many promises made by the parties in manifestos regarding agriculture, economy and national security, less importance has been attached to this issue. I personally feel younger politicians could address this issue better,” Bhusan added.