BackEight politicians who refuse to call it quits even after 80
While some are still in parliament, others have taken roles of key advisors, mentors or party heads
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New Delhi: Several Indian politicians are well beyond the age of 80 but are still going strong. While some are Members of Parliament (MPs), many others are active members of their parties.
According to data from New Delhi-based PRS Legislative Research, 8% of members of in the current 16th Lok Sabha are above the age of 70—the highest so far.
Mint takes a look at some of the veterans, both inside and outside Parliament:
• Lal Krishna Advani, 87: A member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s margdarshak mandal (mentor group), the former deputy prime minister is the Lok Sabha member from Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Murli Manohar Joshi, 81: Another member of the BJP’s margdarshak mandal. MP from Kanpur.
• Motilal Vora, 86: An active leader of the Congress party who currently holds the post of party treasurer.
• Manmohan Singh, 82: The former prime minister remains a key advisor to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
• M. Karunanidhi, 91: The leader of the Dravida Munnetra Khazagham (DMK) continues to have a strong influence in Tamil Nadu politics.
• H.D. Devegowda, 82: The former prime minister continues to experiment with electoral politics. Recently, his party, Janata Dal (Secular), joined the newly formed Janata Parivar.
• Parkash Singh Badal, 87: The chief minister of Punjab and leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal is a senior member of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.
• A.B. Bardhan, 90: The former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) is a veteran trade union leader.
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