Average age of MLAs in Gujarat assembly is 55 years and five months

AHMEDABAD: The average age of MLAs in the Gujarat assembly is around 55 years and five months. This means the state assembly has a mixture of youngsters and senior citizens, relatively speaking.

The youngest MLA is Bharat Korani, who will turn 30 in a week, while the 81-year-old Daulatrai Desai is the oldest member of the assembly. Assembly officials said that about a third of MLAs are in the 51-60 years age group, and another 51 MLAs are in the age group of 41-50 years.

A senior BJP leader, who refused to be named, said only 10 MLAs are between 30 and 40 years old. This could indicate that neither theCongress nor the BJP prefer giving youngsters tickets in the state. Sources said both parties give seniors preference.

"Whenever elections are announced though, both parties declare that they will give tickets to more youngsters and women, but inevitably, in the final distribution hardly 10-15% of tickets are given to the youth. In politics, a person is not young only after 60," said a senior leader.

Further, party office-bearers say that not many leaders know their correct birth date. June seems to be an unusually auspicious month for Gujarat politicians. As many as 45 of 182 current MLAs - nearly a quarter - are born in June. Of them, 28 will celebrate their birthday on June 1 - the day 31 legislators of the previous state assembly were born.

While some were actually born in June, several, mostly from rural areas, mention June as the month of their birth during school enrollment in the absence of proper documents. "Schools usually start the academic session in June. Many parents fake dates of birth to 'save' their ward a year," explained an official.

The youngest MLAs in the state assembly, Bharat Korani and Jayesh Radadia, are from Chotila and Dhoraji. Interestingly, both MLAs made it to the house via by-elections. Korani was given a ticket following the death of his father, Vasram Korani, while Jayesh Radadia was elected after his father, Vitthal Radadia, won the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat.

Even the third youngest candidate made it to the assembly via a by-election from Jasdan, after Kuwarjibhai Bavalia won the Rajkot Lok Sabha seat.

Had it not been for by-elections, Bhavnaben Makwana from Talaja would have been the youngest MLA, at the age of 36.

Youngest five MLAs

1) Bharat Korani (Chotila-BJP) September 28, 1982

2) Jayesh Radadia (Dhoraji-Congress) December 20, 1981

3) Bharat Boghara (Jasdan-BJP) June 22, 1978

4) Bhavna Makwana (Talaja- BJP) February 25, 1976

5) Amit Chavda (Vadodara- Congress) April 24, 1976

6) Vandanaben Makwana (Keshod- BJP) June 26, 1976

Oldest five MLAs

1) Daulatrai Desai (Valsad- BJP) December 28, 1930

2) Shankerbhai Vaghela (Chaklasi- Congress) February 3, 1933

3) Liladhar Vaghela (Deesa- BJP) February 17, 1935

4) Narottam Patel, (Choryasi- BJP) July 11,. 1936

5) Narayan Patel (Unjha- BJP) May 16, 1938

6) Vajubhai Vala (Rajkot-II, BJP) January 18, 1938

7) Kanji Talpada (Dholka-Congress) January 8, 1938