In a democracy, the people have the right to choose their representatives, but some necessary rules and regulations have been made to contest the elections themselves. In India, a specific age limit has been set for contesting Lok Sabha elections, without which no citizen can dream of reaching Parliament. Interestingly, when it comes to our neighboring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, the rules there are similar to India to a great extent. Let us know what is the minimum age to become an MP in these three countries.

Age limit to become MP in India

According to Article 84 (b) of the Indian Constitution, the minimum age of any candidate to contest Lok Sabha elections in the country must be 25 years. This means that if an Indian citizen wants to become a member of the lower house of the Parliament i.e. Lok Sabha, he will have to be at least 25 years of age. The same rule is fully applicable for the assembly elections of the states, where the same age limit has been made mandatory to become an MLA.

Rules for contesting National Assembly elections in Pakistan

If we talk about India’s neighboring country Pakistan, there too the age limit for contesting elections has been kept the same as in India. The lower house of Pakistan is called National Assembly. According to the election rules there, it is very important for any candidate to be at least 25 years of age to contest the National Assembly elections. However, to become a member of the Upper House i.e. the Senate there, the age criteria is different, for which the candidate must be at least 30 years old.

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This is the electoral scale in Bangladesh also

If we look at the Constitution of another neighboring country Bangladesh, there is also the same age limit for becoming a Member of Parliament. Under Article 66 (1) of the Constitution of Bangladesh, it is mandatory for any person to be a Bangladeshi citizen and to be at least 25 years of age to contest elections for the Parliament (Jati Sansad). If seen this way, these three major countries of the subcontinent have chosen the same maturity level to become public representatives.

Difference between voting and contesting elections

Often people get confused between the age of voting and the age of contesting elections. In all the three countries India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the legal age for voting i.e. becoming a voter has been fixed at 18 years. But just 18 years of age is not enough to take charge of the country or be a part of the law making body. For this, the policy makers of the country have thoughtfully considered the age of 25 years as the most appropriate and mature.

The rules are completely different for the upper houses

While in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh the minimum age for the lower house (such as India’s Lok Sabha) is 25 years, the rules for the upper house are quite different and strict. To become a member of the Upper House i.e. Rajya Sabha in India, any citizen must be at least 30 years of age. Similarly, in Pakistan also the age requirement for the Senate is 30 years. However, Bangladesh has a unicameral parliament system, so only the 25-year rule is effective there.

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