Visakhapatnam: The 2024 elections have heralded a generational shift in AP’s political landscape, with several young leaders emerging victorious in both the Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
Many of the newly elected leaders are below age 40. They are likely to bring fresh perspectives and energy to the state's governance.
In the Lok Sabha elections, seven out of the 25 winning candidates were below age 40 and 3 candidates were in the 40-50 age bracket. A pro-youth wave was evident the victories of Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, 36, in Srikakulam, and Sri Bharat, 35, in Visakhapatnam.
Other young winners were GM Harish, 33, in Amalapuram and Putta Mahesh Kumar, 36, in Eluru.
Also, young leaders like Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu, 41, in Narasaraopeta and Byreddy Shabari, 40, in Nandyal won seats. Gumma Thanuja Rani, the youngest at 31, clinched a victory in Araku.
The rise of young leaders in AP can be attributed to several factors. One major reason is the growing disillusionment the voters faced with the traditional and corrupt political class, several of them having made hay over the years through foul means.
This led to a desire for fresh faces and new ideas in politics. Additionally, the increasing sway of social media and digital communication has enabled young politicians to connect with the voters more effectively and build their strong online presence.
The assembly elections highlighted an even stronger presence of youthful leaders, a majority of the winners being below age-50. Out of the 175 assembly segments, a significant number of the victorious candidates were in the 30-40 age group, promising a robust influx of young leaders into the state's legislative assembly.
These youthful winners include Miriyala Sirisha Devi, the youngest at 30, who claimed the Rampachodavaram seat. Bandaru Sravani Sree (34) won in Singanamala, while Chirri Balaraju (36) secured a victory in Polavaram. Thoyaka Jagadeeswari and Bonela Vijaya Chandra, both 39, won in Kuruppam and Parvathipuram, respectively.
Nimmaka Krishna, Vangalapudi Anitha, Yanamala Divya and Galla Madhavi, all of them 40 years old, triumphed in Palakonda, Payakaraopeta, Tuni and Guntur West.
Kondapalli Srinivas, Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Nara Lokesh, Gurajala Jagan Mohan and JC Ashmit Reddy, all 41, won the Gajapathinagaram, Vizianagaram, Mangalagiri, Chittoor and Tadpatri seats.
Bendalam Ashok, Adireddy Srinivas and Kagitha Krishnaprasad, all 42, emerged victorious in Icchapuram, Rajahmundry, and Pedana.
Patsamatla Dharmaraju and Tangirala Sowmya, both 43, claimed Unguturu and Nandigama seats. Sundarapu Vijay Kumar, Roshan Kumar Songa and Mohammad Naseer Ahmed, all 44, won in Elamanchilli, Chintlapudi and Guntur East. Kumar Raja Varla, 45, held Pammaru.
Mamidi Govinda Rao and Gondu Shankar both 47, won Pathapatnam and Srikakulam. D Jayachandra Reddy, 48, took Thamballapalli. Bathula Balaramakrishna, Muppidi Venkateswara Rao and Yarlagadda Venkata Rao, all 49, won Rajanagaram, Kovvur and Gannavaram.
