The youngest-ever MP said he was 24 years old when he started his campaign.
In 2019, the Samajwadi Party fielded a five-time MLA and former UP cabinet minister Indrajeet Saroj from the Kaushambi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Saroj lost to BJP's Vinod Kumar Sonkar. Five years later, Mr Saroj's son Pushpendra Saroj, who turned 25, was named the Samajwadi Party candidate from the same seat. The junior Saroj defeated Mr Sonkar by over 1 lakh votes and took sweet revenge.
Twenty-five years and three months old Pushpendra Saroj is India's youngest-ever MP and has set the record for the highest victory by a margin of the youngest parliamentarian. In an exclusive interview with DailyExpertNews, Mr Saroj said, “My father contested the seat in 2019 and lost to Vinod Kumar Sonkar of the BJP. This time I was appointed and the BJP candidate said I defeated your father last time and now I will do so. beat you. The people of Kaushambi took it upon themselves and voted for me.”
In 2019, Indrajeet Saroj lost the seat to Mr Sankar by over 38,000 votes.
'Getting into politics'
The youngest MP ever told DailyExpertNews that he was thinking about entering politics when his father lost in 2019.
“I knew that I would turn 25 in 2024. I decided to enter politics. I met our party president, Akhilesh Yadav. After talking to me, he was convinced and suggested that I contest from the seat instead of my father,” Mr Saroj told DailyExpertNews.
The Samajwadi Party won 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh, a key state that sends 80 MPs to the lower house of Parliament. The party's ally Congress won eight seats and the BJP, which had pinned its hopes on Uttar Pradesh, won 32 seats and emerged as the second largest party in the state. The Samajwadi Party's best ever performance came as a surprise to the voters.
'We fought for core issues'
Speaking at the Samajwadi Party's stellar show in the state, the junior Saroj said, “I would like to thank the people of UP for giving me such a big mandate. We fought on core issues that should be discussed and fought against elections. Leaking of exam papers affects the youth, which are key issues. The people of Uttar Pradesh voted on these issues.”
“Akhilesh Yadav has a young vision and wants discussion in Parliament on core issues. The people of Uttar Pradesh have blessed us,” he added.
'Didn't register the win'
The youngest-ever MP said he was 24 years old when he started his campaign. Pushpendra Saroj said, “Honestly, I haven't mentally registered the victory. I will represent my people in Parliament, they have put their trust in me and helped create two records – the biggest victory by a margin by the youngest MP. “
At the age of 25, at least four candidates will become the youngest MPs after winning the Lok Sabha elections, the results of which were announced yesterday. Pushpendra Saroj and Priya Saroj contested on the Samajwadi Party ticket, while Shambhavi Choudhary and Sanjana Jatav were fielded by the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Congress respectively.
