Telangana CM proposes lowering voting age to 21 for assembly and parliament elections

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced on Saturday that a special state assembly session will be convened in the first week of August to pass a resolution demanding the minimum age for contesting assembly and parliamentary elections be reduced from 25 to 21 years.

Addressing youth protesters demanding accountability over the NEET-UG 2026 examination controversy—which led to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation—Reddy argued that if youth can become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers at 21, they should be eligible to contest as MLAs and MPs. He cited examples of Germany, Britain, and Singapore, where individuals aged 18-21 can hold top positions.

Reddy promised to discuss the proposal with India Alliance leaders and all political parties, and said youth participation in key ministries would be ensured under a government led by Rahul Gandhi in future.