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With over 600 million people between the ages of 18 and 35, India is home to the world’s largest young people population
Election Desk &
Youth Manifesto
Despite young people’s seminal contribution to today’s economy and growth, there exists a huge gap in their political representation in India.
In a country where the average age of its population is 28, the average age of all elected representatives is currently at 57.
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If fair representation is at the centre of a working democracy, how do we continue to claim India as a thriving democracy until we address this blatant lack of young people representation in decision making and governance?
This critical question is the base upon which we have built our ‘YPP Election Desk’ initiatives. Through its hybrid Election Desks, YPP provides Indian youth opportunities to collectivise and engage themselves in
Going beyond being mere spectators, YPP Election Desks urge young people to design and implement innovative interventions towards increasing their direct involvement and stake in electoral processes.
Since early 2019, YPP has set up and successfully run 43 Election Desks covering local, state and national elections.
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Young People for Politics (YPP) Election Desk
One of our most successful and impactful interventions of our Election Desks has been the creation of the ‘Tamil Nadu Youth Manifesto 2021’, a vision and demands document developed in the run up to the 2021 Tamil Nadu state elections. The activity collectivised 150 young people from across geographic, caste, class and gender locations in the state of Tamil Nadu and engaged them in the development of a first-of-its-kind, non-partisan political document. The cohort of youth went on to meet and share the Manifesto with prominent political leaders.
The winning coalition, led by the DMK party, had adopted 60 / 169 demands directly into their party manifestos.
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Currently: 16 demands have already been implemented in the State.
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