The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have proved to be historic for many reasons, including the emergence of a significant number of young, first-time MPs who have made it to Parliament. Twenty-five-year-old Pushpendra Saroj, who is from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and won from the Kaushambi Lok Sabha seat, is the youngest Lok Sabha MP in the history of India. Pushpendra Saroj won the seat by a margin of over 1 lakh votes, defeating the incumbent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vinod Sonkar. In 2019, Pushpendra Saroj’s father, Indrajeet Saroj, had lost to Sonkar.
In a post-poll interview with Sansad TV, the young Dalit leader said that as a young parliamentarian, he believed that it was his duty to represent the voice of the youth from his constituency and the nation before the House. “My aim to work with the government and not against it,” he said.
In another interview, Pushpendra Saroj―who was on air with fellow parliamentarian Shambhavi Choudhary of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)―was also seen congratulating Choudhary saying that he hoped both of them would be able to successfully present the people’s voice in Parliament. The host noted that it was refreshing to see camaraderie between the two sides, especially as politics had lately become one of “hate”.
The young SP leader―who is the son of five-time MLA, Indrajeet Saroj, and currently the MLA from Manjhanpur―says that he had not anticipated his entry into politics to be so early in his life. Pushpendra Saroj, after completing his undergraduate degree in accounting and management from the Queen Mary University of London, joined the SP after returned to India in 2021.
“Now I will get to spend more time among my people, more time to work for them, what more can I ask for?” he told Outlook before the polls. Pushpendra Saroj also emphasised that his campaign was based on the “core issues” faced by the people. "If I talk about the nation, then unemployment and rising prices are the key electoral issues affecting every citizen. In Kaushambi, a different struggle is unfolding for respect and dignity. The current MP has disrespected people, and they are fighting against that. Additionally, issues like lack of electricity and water, and road problems have persisted; the youth remain unemployed; and, inflation is impacting everyone. These are some of the pressing issues in this region,” he had said.
Pushpendra Saroj, who subscribes to SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula, said that Yadav had given tickets to many young candidates this time. “He has a new vision and wants productive discussions in the Parliament,” said Pushpendra Saroj. The 25-year-old says that the youth were able to connect with him during his campaign and he hopes that he will be able to fight for their issues like unemployment and paper leaks, and work for their development in the Lok Sabha.
“Our country is very capable, our country is intellect, the people with their level of commitment and hard work are capable, especially the youth as they are the upcoming generation… it is very important to give them that infrastructure and create jobs,” he said.
