The elections this time are witnessing a massive generation shift in Punjab. The newest election trend is not left versus right, but young versus old, with relatively adolescent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielding comparatively youthful leaders in an attempt to take power from the old and give to the youth.
The 2019 General Elections would apparently be a fight between the AAP’s ‘youth’ brigade and the veterans of the political battlefield fielded by the traditional political parties like the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), besides the new-comer splinter groups.
While the average age of AAP’s 13 candidates is 47, the average age of the Congress’ candidates is 58—indicating that the party managed to strike a balance between the experience and youthfulness.
Reposing its faith is the old guard, the SAD-BJP combine’s average age has turned out to be 64 years. While the average age if SAD’s 10 candidates is 63, that of BJP’s three candidates is 65.
The average age of 13 candidates fielded by the six different political outfits and splinter groups — Punjab Ekta Party, Lok Insaaf Party, Nawan Punjab Party, BSP, CPI, and Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI) — under the banner of Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) is 55 years.
AAP is the only party in the state which has fielded five candidates who are 30-plus, with its candidate from Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat, Prof Tejpal Singh, youngest in the fray. The 32-year-old Tejpal has recently been awarded a PhD degree on Jail management and had a Master’s degree in police administration.
Associated with the party since 2014, Tejpal is currently party’s state unit’s youth wing’s vice-president. He would be facing Congress’ sitting MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, SAD’s former Minister Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, and Lok Insaaf Party’s sitting MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains in his first Lok Sabha elections.
Among the women candidates, AAP’s Prof Baljinder Kaur, who is also contesting her first parliamentary polls from Bathinda, is the youngest with 33 years of age.
Presently representing Talwandi Sabo in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, she will be facing SAD’s sitting MP and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Congress’ Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, and newly-formed Punjab Ekta Party’s Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who has been two-time MLA.
Besides, party’s Gurdaspur candidate Peter Masih (37), Khadoor Sahib candidate Manjinder Singh Sidhu (33), and Fatehgarh Sahib candidate Bandeep Singh Dullo (35) are also in their 30s.
The senior-most candidate in fray is SAD’s Charanjit Singh Atwal, 82 years, who is contesting from Jalandhar reserve seat against Congress’ sitting MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh who is also 72.
Among the candidates of these four factions for 13 seats, one is above 80, while five are 70-plus, with 16 above 60 years of age. The parties have fielded 10 candidates who are in their 50s, while 14 are between the age group of 40 and 50 years.
The oldest candidate fielded by the Congress is 79-year-old folk singer-turned-politician Mohd Sadique from Farikdot reserve seat, followed by 74-year-old former Union Minister ‘Maharani’ Preneet Kaur.
The ruling party in Punjab has decided to lay its bet on the tried and trusted weapons for the crucial polls and fielded all four sitting MPs, including 43-year-old youth leader Ravneet Singh Bittu.
For the Bathinda hot-seat, the party has picked its youth leader Aamrinder Singh Raja Warring to challenge the two-time sitting MP in her bastion. The 41-year-old former president of the Indian Youth Congress and two-time MP from Girdderbaha, Warring would face AAP’s Baljinder Kaur and 54-year-old two-time MP Khaira.
AAP’s senior most candidate is its sitting MP from Faridkot 78-year-old Prof Sadhu Singh, while that of BJP is 70-year-old Som Parkash.
Maximum 16 candidates in fray from these main political players are in their 60s. They include 65-year-old Sunil Jakhar, Amar Singh (65), Kewal Singh Dhillon (68) from Congress, Hardeep Puri (67) from BJP, Bibi Jagir Kaur (65), Prem Singh Chandumajra (69), Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal (69), DS Guru (66), Gulzar Singh Ranike (61), Surjit Singh Rakhra (68) from Akali Dal.
Among the 50-plus, which is considered comparatively young in the political field, are 20 candidates including 59-year-old actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol, 56-year-old SAD president Sukhbir Badal, 52-year old Harsimrat, among others.