Young politicians India is looking up to in 2013

New Delhi, Jan 10: India is the world's second most populous country with a huge majority of young people but it is being governed by mostly over aged politicians. While 50 percent of India's population belongs to under 25 years age bracket, the average age of India's Union council of ministers is 64.Age definitely brings more experience in the cabinet but it also creates a big disconnect between the majority of the population and those who are framing policies for them. It's time for the ruling leadership to give a serious thought towards bringing in more young faces in the cabinet so that the average age of cabinet ministers is brought down to a more acceptable level.There is no dearth of young politicians in India, but the problem is that most of them belong to this or that political dynasty. Those who are out of active politics do not want their near and dear ones to join politics given the inherent manipulations and machinations attached with the life and journey of a politician.On the other hand, a politician is always on the lookout for selecting his political heir from amongst his kith and kin. More often, they end up passing on the baton to sons or daughters. It will not be wrong to say that slowly but surely, India is moving towards ‘democratic monarchy' where rulers will be chosen from different dynasties.Let's have a look at some of the most promising young politicians of India: Akhilesh Yadav: In UP politics, the advent of Akhilesh Yadav, 39, was like a breath of fresh air. Contrary to his hot-headed and maverick father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh looked calm, composed and approachable for hoi-polloi.In 2012 assembly elections, Akhilesh took the command of Samajwadi Party and led from the front. He displayed remarkable candour in confessing that mistakes were committed during early regimes of Samajwadi Party but assured the electorate that the administration under his command will be different. The people of UP, who were in no mood to give Mayawati another chance, threw their weight behind Akhilesh and the result of the assembly elections was a pleasant surprise for the Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh managed to get a clear majority for his party in assembly elections and incumbent Mayawati govt was forced to eat a humble pie.Akhilesh took over as the youngest Chief Minister of UP on March 15, 2012. Rahul Gandhi:Rahul Gandhi, 42, is the younger face of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty in Indian polity. Son of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi, Rahul is all set to take the mantle of Congress party, both inside and outside parliament, very soon.The party has already made him the head of Congress Coordination Committee for 2014 elections. And there is a not-so-veiled message in this appointment. It is obvious that Rahul will be driving the election campaign of the Grand Old Party in 2014. And if the party, with its allies, emerges victorious then Rahul Gandhi will be the Prime Minister.The Indian media is agog with speculations over a Rahul Gandhi – Narendra Modi clash in 2014 general elections. As on today, Rahul is the most eligible bachelor in the Indian polity, too. Priyanka Gandhi:Even the Congress party workers believe that Priyanka, 40, connects better with electorate than her brother Rahul Gandhi. She is more articulate and displays better body language compared to her brother. The problem with Priyanka's political journey is that her mother, like a truly Italian mother, has passed on the baton to son Rahul. 2014 will be a litmus test for Rahul but if he fails in delivering the desired result then there is every possibility of increasing clamour within the party for pushing Priyanka at the forefront as the new hope for the Congress Party.Married to a businessman Robert Vadra, Priyanka has two children - Raihan and Miraya. Agatha Sangma: Agatha Sangma, 32, is the youngest MP of Indian parliament. At 29 years of age, she joined the union council of ministers and became the youngest minister in the 15th Lok Sabha. Agatha is the daughter of former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma. She became part of the council of ministers from NCP quota as her father was a founder member of NCP. When P A Sangma resigned from NCP to contest the Presidential elections, Agatha campaigned for his father and against the candidate of ruling UPA alliance. Agatha was later dropped from the cabinet.Young and energetic, Agatha participated in the protest against Delhi gangrape incident but could not be noticed as she decided to join the protest as a commoner. Varun Gandhi:Varun Gandhi, 32, is one of the most fiery leaders of Indian polity. Son of the late Sanjay and Menaka Gandhi, herself a BJP MP, Varun is known for his plainspeak and has often been accused by his opponents for crossing the line.Some political observers say that he would be a good choice for leading the BJP in UP, given the fact that BJP lacks mass leaders in the state. But his family lineage makes it difficult for him to put forward his claim openly. As far as his popularity is concerned, even his detractors, both inside and outsidethe BJP, agree that he is a crowd puller and has the ability to make the audience spellbound. If groomed properly, he can evolve as a mature politician and a leader in his own right. Of late, there have been reports that he is thinking of changing his parliamentary constituency from Pilibhit to Sultanpur. If he does so, he'll be openly challenging Sonia Gandhi in her own territory. Sachin Pilot:Sachin Pilot, 35, is one of the most promising younger faces of Congress party. Presently, he is the Union Minister (independent charge) for corporate affairs.Son of Congress leader the late Rajesh Pilot, Sachin is married to Sara Abdullah, the sister of Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdulah.Young , energetic and articulate, Sachin Pilot has been freely expressing his views on matters of socio-economic interests. Naveen Jindal:Naveen Jindal, 42, is a Congress MP and chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited. Wearing the hats of both a politician and a businessman, Naveen Jindal has been raising issues of both social and corporate interests. Naveen Jindal is modern in his economic outlook but has been accused of supporting archaic vie points of Haryana Khap panchayats.Recently, he was in news for getting arrested two Zee News editors on extortion charges. His company also figured in the Coalgate controversy. Jyotiraditya Scindia:Jyotiraditya Scindia, 42, is a leading young politician from Madhya Pradesh. Son of late Madhavrao Scindia, Jyotiraditya is presently Minister of State (Independent charge) for Power.Jyotiraditya is known for his modern and progressive thoughts. He has emerged as a suave face of the Congress party in recent times. An elected MP from Guna, he wields quite a clout in Madhya Pradesh. Supriya Sule:Supriya Sule, 43, is an NCP MP from Maharashtra. She is the daughter of NCP president and Union Minister Sharad Pawar. She is married to Sadanand Bhalchandra Sule. Of late, she has been quite active in the state politics of Maharashtra. On behalf of NCP, she is trying to reach out to women electorate of the state. Supriya is considered as the successor to her father Sharad Pawar in the NCP, after Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar was sidelined. Milind Deora: Milind Deora, 36, is a Congress MP from Maharashtra. Presently, he is Minister of State for Communications, IT and Shipping.He is the son of veteran Congress leader Murali Deora, once a strongman of Mumbai Congress. Milind Deora married Pooja Shetty, the daughter of famous film producer Manmohan Shetty in 2008. Pooja Shetty heads the film production company ‘Walk Water Media'. Like his father, Milind Deora takes keen interest in economic matters and has been participating in various economic debates across the country.Anurag Thakur:Anurag Thakur, 38, is the chief of BJP Youth wing. He is the son of former Himachal chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. A former cricketer, he is also joint secretary of BCCI as well.Recently, he was accused of using derogatory language against Sonia Gandhi on Facebook. Media reports said he called Sonia Gandhi a ‘witch'. But Anurag Thakur refuted all these allegations and said that the FB account in question was a fake account and that he had nothing to do with that FB account.