21 to contest? Delhi, over to you
Revanth says let 21-year-olds run for MLA and MP. That needs a constitutional change — which means the BJP-led Centre has to stop pretending youth are only for selfies.
A proposed age change still needs Parliament’s approval.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has called for cutting the minimum age to contest Lok Sabha and Assembly polls from 25 to 21, and said the state will pass a resolution urging a constitutional amendment in the first week of August. According to multiple reports of his remarks at a Hyderabad rally, he said the Assembly and Council would meet in a special session to send the appeal to the Prime Minister. The law has not changed; today it is 25, per Articles 84(b) and 173(b).
The pitch is simple: Gen Z should be able to stand, not just clap. Revanth’s reported line was that Telangana would back this in Parliament with allies — but the gate sits in Delhi. Any reduction requires Parliament to amend the Constitution; a state resolution is an ask, not a switch. The Election Commission’s own guidance lists 25 for Lok Sabha/Assembly and 30 for Rajya Sabha/Legislative Council.
Predictably, the BJP’s Telangana unit dismissed the move as a diversion rather than say whether the BJP-led Centre will move the amendment. That’s not an argument; it’s an evasion. If the Congress chief minister’s ask is performative, the cure is a Bill on the table. Young voters can read who is stalling. The BJP-led Centre has yet to explain why 21-year-old Indians can vote, serve, and pay taxes — but must wait four more years to ask for votes themselves.