Welcome to Gen D: Just 384 MPs, MLAs are 40 or under; 1 in 3 are dynasts

In India, the political landscape is dominated by youth, but only a select few manage to break into the political arena. According to an analysis by The Indian Express, only 26 Gen Z politicians are currently serving in Parliament and state assemblies, making up a mere 6.8% of the total. Shockingly, half of these young politicians are political dynasts, i.e., children or relatives of established politicians.

Even those who are 40 or under are not immune to the dynastic trend, as 37.8% of them are political heirs. The BJP leads in terms of youth representation, with nine MPs and 41 MLAs under 40, 41 of whom are dynasts. The Congress follows closely with 7 MPs and 4 MLAs in the under-40 bracket, with 4 of them being dynasts. Interestingly, the Congress has more women dynasts (11) than the entire Lok Sabha, which has a female representation of just 14%.

In legislative assemblies, 344 young legislators (8.3%) are aged 40 or under, with 121 of them being dynasts. The state with the highest share of dynastic MLAs in this age group is Odisha, where 14 out of 16 MLAs belong to political families. On the other hand, states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal have relatively fewer dynastic MLAs despite having a higher percentage of young legislators.