Forum urges youth to vote in Lok Sabha elections

CHENNAI: “The average age of candidates contesting in the upcoming

Lok Sabha

elections, from the state, is between 55 and 56. Where are the young people?” asks Radhika Ganesh, convener of the newly formed collective forum, Young People for Politics. Radhika along with three other panellists held a three hour long discussion on the role and representation of young people in electoral politics.


“Most

youngsters

today are vocal about their opinions on politics, but only on social media. Even when they align to a political party they have no platform or means to contribute in decision making. This needs to change,” said Radhika while addressing the audience at Elliots beach on Sunday.

The panel and the audience comprised of intellectuals, writers, students and activists. Director of Put Chutney, a youtube channel, Rajmohan Arumugam was one of the panellists. He pointed out the bias in choosing electoral representatives within political parties.

He said that there are many young people in the state who have the qualification and the right temperament to represent the people, but once they join a party their roles are restricted to either putting up posters or running errands for leaders. “The last name matters,” he said.

Shalin

Maria Lawrence

, a writer and activist agreed. “If you notice, most young people who ascend to higher positions in political parties are either children or relatives of MPs and come with a strong political background. This is a

democracy

and everyone has the right to contribute to society,” she said. The forum, as Radhika points aims to educate and encourage the youth to participate in decision making. “When we say ‘young’ it is not just age-wise but also by ideas. We need new ideas to bring a change in this country,” she said.