ith the Karnataka elections in full swing, many young people were seen contributing to election campaigns in a significant way. So be it tweeting, sharing, appealing others to vote, discussing, etc – young people were actively involved in the whole process. Until the results come out, one cannot be sure about the real-time impact the participation of youth has created. But one thing we can be sure of is that lack of participation from the youth can definitely have an extremely negative effect on the overall results.
More than 50% of India’s population is below the age of 25, and more than 65% below 35. So going by statistics, India’s youth can play a fundamental role in shaping and running the biggest democracy in the world. Yet, as per a recent report, only 6% of the leaders and ministers in the government of India are below the age of 35. This is really shocking and implies that in spite of the availability of talent, enthusiasm, knowledge and resources, the youth of this country are not interested in jumping onto the bandwagon, be a part of the politics in India and contribute in the workings of the country. Where we have numerous young and extremely successful entrepreneurs who are earning huge money, we don’t have an equal number of young political leaders who can run the country. We also have a majority of the population which just wants to criticise but when asked to change the situations themselves, they are completely reluctant to co-operate.
What exactly is keeping the young intelligent minds of this country from getting into politics? Why, even in the 21st century, do educated and bright youths not want to start a full-fledged political career?
Below are some of the factors that might be the reasons.
It is all so unpredictable and uncertain
Politics is unpredictable. Period. Agreed, some of the parties in the Indian politics today provide huge economic benefits to the “karyakartas” sometimes even better than a highly paying job. But till what time? There is no job guarantee and there is no written contract protected by the law. Besides, most of the money provided is black and is liable to scrutiny. Once you go into it, you also have to play according to the rules of politics and the rules keep on changing based on the situation. What if the young people are not able to adapt? Families which are used to living a routine life with a monthly pay cheque would not advise their children to enter such a volatile field.
A fierce competition which stops at nothing
If you think, nepotism exists only in Bollywood, think again. Indian politics is one of the world’s biggest fields for nepotism where most of the picture is run by the aristocratic, old Indian political families. A leader’s child is expected to follow their parent’s footsteps. Surprisingly, they might get more popular than a genuine youngster who has just entered the field and is working hard. It’s extremely difficult for the outsiders to prove one’s talent, work and achievements and reach out to the public at the grass root. Also, powerful netas have various means to ensure that a good newcomer is shown ‘their place’ if they come in the way of their successor’s path. And to add to it, there is hardly any guidance for the newcomer. So it’s a slippery situation altogether.
It’s all about money, honey!
No two thoughts about that. One has to have a lot of money to promote, advertise and publicise one’s own work. More than the actual work one does, it’s more important today to promote the work. Millions are spent today on advertising and marketing. Even for doing some really good work, one requires money and it’s hard to come from middle-class families with limited savings and make a commitment. In such cases, one has to raise the money through illegal means which is a big reason not to enter politics.
In-house complexities and hidden agendas
Every member of the party has their own ambition to succeed and there are limited means of achieving that success. Parties have a very complex internal structure driven by egos and ambition. With the fierce competition inside and the ever-changing volatile situation outside, every member holds on to their own hidden agenda within the party. Any new entrant posing a threat to their agenda can be easily exterminated and stopped. It also creates major trust issues and long-term loyalties are hard to find. So young people find it difficult to sustain their goal and focus and everything thus becomes only a power game and not just the plain career choice it was supposed to be. Young people might not find it “worth it” in the long term.
The increasing graph of crime rates and criminal charges
Just do a check of the some of the big political parties in India and the number of politicos with criminal charges. It’s astounding and shocking. Every day there is some new story about the political parties and all the illegal practices happening within a party – be it corruption, murder, money laundering, land grabbing. This news can scare the shit out of even some of the bravest people around. It’s no surprise that youth want to keep away from the murky quicksand which can engulf anyone. No one is sure what happens. Even if they are clean what if they are wrongly implicated or cheated? Better keep away! Even parents are scared and would not want their children to enter a profession so full of lies, uncertainty, and danger.
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