The youngest age to stand for a Lok Sabha seat is 25. At 26, Bhavya Bishnoi is just in time to contest the 2019 general elections, the biggest in human history.
As the Congress's youngest Lok Sabha candidate (for now) in Haryana, he has his work cut out for him in Hisar. In a three-way battle, he faces Brijendra Singh of the BJP and the sitting MP, Dushyant Singh of the JJP. All three candidates come from political families.
Bhavya’s grandfather, Bhajan Lal, was thrice elected chief minister of Haryana from the Hisar seat. Both his father and mother hold Assembly seats in Haryana — Kuldeep Singh Bishnoi holds the Adampur constituency while Renuka Bishnoi holds the seat from Hansi.
In a first, Bhavya has released a constituency-specific manifesto for Hisar. His campaign promise is to make Hisar the capital of Haryana.
He speaks to The Week on the ideas he wants to represent in parliament.
You are one of the youngest candidates in this election, and the youngest to contest at Hisar in 2019. Do you see a greater role for young leaders in parliament in this election?
Absolutely. More than 60% of India’s population is under the age of 35 years. I truly believe that India’s greatest [asset] is its young people. Contemporary challenges demand new ways of thinking about their solutions. Young people are making disruptive innovations across fields and professions. Young people in politics are needed to help take these innovative solutions to scale through informed policymaking. I’m grateful to Rahul Ji and the Congress party for recognising this need.
Your grandfather was a three-time chief minister of Haryana. Your father helped found the Haryana Janhit Congress party. You've had a ringside view of politics for a while now.
What do you feel has changed between this election and the last?
Prime Minister Modi has made politics all about presentation at the expense of substance. Name-changing, instead of game-changing, policies have become the order of the day. However, I strongly believe that the people of India have become increasingly politically aware, and will see through PM Modi’s lies and facades in the upcoming general elections. I’m also hopeful about policy and impact taking centre stage in Indian politics once again.
India loves its parallels. Dushyant Chautala is also a young candidate like yourself - he was 26 and the youngest Lok Sabha candidate when he ran in 2014. Both your grandfathers were chief ministers. He studied in California State, you studied at Oxford. You've played first class cricket, he's been president of the table tennis federation.
What do you think of the upcoming battle between you and Dushyant for the Hisar seat?
It’s a fairly one-sided battle. There are more differences, than similarities, between us. The people of Hisar are our family, whereas Dushyant is an outsider. The Ch. Bhajan Lal family has delivered on our promises, whereas Dushyant has failed to do so. I respect the elders in my family, whereas Dushyant exploits them for his own selfish ends. The list goes on. The fact that he betrayed his own grandfather and allied with Haryana’s biggest enemy (Arvind Kejriwal, who opposed the establishment of the SYL Canal for Haryana’s farmers) shows his desperation for power. I am a son of Hisar and am committed to co-create prosperity in the region.
Of course, Brijendra Singh also comes from a political family. What are your thoughts on the three-way fight for Hisar this election?
BJP and JJP are competing for 2nd and 3rd positions. The BJP has fielded someone who is completely new to Hisar - a parachute candidate. He is unaware of the issues, history, and geography of Hisar. His family has failed to deliver in Uchana from where his mother is an MLA, as can be seen in the aggressive opposition to them by the people of Uchana. Union Minister, Ch. Birender Singh, as Union Minister for the last five years, failed to bring positive changes to the region as well.
One of your goals has been to make Hisar the capital of Haryana. Why do you feel this is necessary? And what do you think should be the future of Chandigarh if it comes to be?
At 21.3%, Haryana experiences the second highest level of unemployment in India. Currently, only 1 in 8 employed youth in Chandigarh are from Haryana.
History bears testament to the fact that a new capital brings with it huge public and private investment, infrastructure upgrades, a High Court, and so on. Hisar has been recognised as a Counter-Magnet Area by the Region Plan 2001 of the Government of India. It has suitable infrastructure, ample government land, an airport, and other preconditions for a capital. According to the Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal Accord 1985, Chandigarh was to be given to Punjab in exchange for Hindi-speaking villages in Punjab and the SYL Canal. Not only Hisar, but all of Haryana will stand to gain from this.
Chandigarh will continue to thrive.
In the last few years, both cleanliness and fitness have been important parts of your life. You campaigned for greater toilet access, and set fitness challenges for your social media followers.
What would you say constitutes your brand of politics, and what are the issues you would like to tackle in this election?
I’m a thinker and doer. Growing up, I was disillusioned by politicians who didn’t walk the talk. I’m extremely hard-working and persevering. I’ve entered politics entirely to serve the best interests of my constituents.
It’s difficult to pin down one issue, but employment, farmers’ issues, gender equality, and the environment are up there for me.
Politics in Haryana has seen many parties fragment into factions and offshoots. What are your thoughts on the factionalization of Haryana’s politics - and how do you feel this could affect the national election at large?
In Haryana, there seems to be a centripetal tendency, although the fact that different social groups can find a voice in regional parties is great for democracy. My assessment is that, moving forward, it will be a contest between national parties in Haryana.
Your father’s party supported the BJP in 2014. You are now a part of the INC. What is your perspective on these two national parties and their respective brands of politics, given that you’ve seen both of them function from the inside?
My family is Congress at heart. My grandfather helped establish the Party in Haryana through blood and sweat. The Congress party is inclusive and accountable. It represents the values of the past, the needs of the present, and the hopes of the future.
The BJP certainly has some good people, but the anti-democratic, anti-secular, anti-national ideology on which it rests is dangerous for the country. The BJP is based on an ideology that supported the British rule during our Independence struggle, that assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, and that opposed the tricolour. Today, the fact that religious based violence and hate speech can be spewed with impunity is disconcerting.
Before working with the Congress, you were working with Global Citizen, promoting toilet access. Did you get a chance to work with the Central Govt in this time?
Yes, I worked with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, as well as several state governments during this time.
Have you met Rahul Gandhi? Did he have any role to play in fielding you as the party’s candidate from Hisar?
Yes, I’ve met him, and I have Rahul Ji’s blessings. In the Congress party, tickets are allocated after an independent survey and on the basis of merit.
What was your experience with the Team Bhavya app - can you tell us a bit about it, and how you feel such technology can affect the way political campaigning is conducted?
Team Bhavya has shown exceptional results. It essentially families the way my social media outreach was being carried out. Users earn points for each post they share and like, and for adding new members to the team.
The app has brought me even closer to my volunteers, who are now more motivated to work than ever before.
Technology has really opened new avenues even in politics, and I’m excited to see what the future holds.
As the newest generation of Indian politicians, do you feel like you can change the nature of the game?
Well, it is the reason why I got in the game in the first place.
Do you feel any parallels between cricket and politics — or do you keep those two worlds distinct in your own life?
Sports in general have taught me the value of discipline, sacrifice, team work, and strategy. I take these values with me in politics as well.