<p>The number of MLAs aged above 60 years has increased while those in the age groups of 41-60 and 25-40 years has declined, as per the profile of the new Assembly by PRS Legislative Research.</p>.<p>In 2018, 29 per cent of the 224 MLAs were in the 61-80 year bracket, which has now gone up to 35 per cent. At the same time, there was a six percentage point decline in the number of those in the 41-60 age group. When it comes to those aged below 40, the Assembly already had a poor record at 8 per cent, which has now dropped to 7 per cent.</p>.<p>One of the reasons cited by observers is that senior leaders prefer to get reelected instead of making way space for youngsters.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/election/karnataka/9-muslim-candidates-win-in-karnataka-assembly-polls-all-from-congress-1218742.html" target="_blank">9 Muslim candidates win in Karnataka Assembly polls, all from Congress</a></strong></p>.<p>Ashwin Mahesh, who chaired the manifesto committee of the AAP, said an ideal Assembly should have mixed representation, including women. “Politics has become a business and a lifelong career where personal interest overshadows public interest. Many of these MLAs would have retired had there been genuine pressure from the public to deliver,” he said.</p>.<p>The BJP’s experiment to field 75 “new” faces included several youngsters. However, Mahesh pointed out that the decision was more to do with anti-incumbency rather than the idea of fair representation. “Personally, I believe there should be a limit on the number of times a candidate can get elected. This will allow more people to compete for the job,” he said.</p>.<p>Among the parties, the Congress has more seniors, led by Shamanur Shivashankarappa, aged 92. Bagalkot MLA HY Meti (77) and Siddaramaiah (75) are among the known names in the group.</p>.<p>In the BJP, M Chandrappa of Holalkere (71) and Araga Jnanendra (70) are in the category. In the JD(S), there are three aged above 70 including G K Venkatashivareddy (76) and G T Devegowda (73). </p>.<p>While the number of elected women has gone up from eight to 10 in this Assembly, a historical view shows that Karnataka still has a long way to go.</p>.<p>“In every election since 1962, less than 5 per cent of those elected to Karnataka Assembly have been women,” the PRS study of general Assembly election results said.</p>.<p>Interestingly, there has been a drop in the number of women candidates who contested the election. In 2018, 212 women contested the election, which came down to 184 this year.</p>
<p>The number of MLAs aged above 60 years has increased while those in the age groups of 41-60 and 25-40 years has declined, as per the profile of the new Assembly by PRS Legislative Research.</p>.<p>In 2018, 29 per cent of the 224 MLAs were in the 61-80 year bracket, which has now gone up to 35 per cent. At the same time, there was a six percentage point decline in the number of those in the 41-60 age group. When it comes to those aged below 40, the Assembly already had a poor record at 8 per cent, which has now dropped to 7 per cent.</p>.<p>One of the reasons cited by observers is that senior leaders prefer to get reelected instead of making way space for youngsters.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/election/karnataka/9-muslim-candidates-win-in-karnataka-assembly-polls-all-from-congress-1218742.html" target="_blank">9 Muslim candidates win in Karnataka Assembly polls, all from Congress</a></strong></p>.<p>Ashwin Mahesh, who chaired the manifesto committee of the AAP, said an ideal Assembly should have mixed representation, including women. “Politics has become a business and a lifelong career where personal interest overshadows public interest. Many of these MLAs would have retired had there been genuine pressure from the public to deliver,” he said.</p>.<p>The BJP’s experiment to field 75 “new” faces included several youngsters. However, Mahesh pointed out that the decision was more to do with anti-incumbency rather than the idea of fair representation. “Personally, I believe there should be a limit on the number of times a candidate can get elected. This will allow more people to compete for the job,” he said.</p>.<p>Among the parties, the Congress has more seniors, led by Shamanur Shivashankarappa, aged 92. Bagalkot MLA HY Meti (77) and Siddaramaiah (75) are among the known names in the group.</p>.<p>In the BJP, M Chandrappa of Holalkere (71) and Araga Jnanendra (70) are in the category. In the JD(S), there are three aged above 70 including G K Venkatashivareddy (76) and G T Devegowda (73). </p>.<p>While the number of elected women has gone up from eight to 10 in this Assembly, a historical view shows that Karnataka still has a long way to go.</p>.<p>“In every election since 1962, less than 5 per cent of those elected to Karnataka Assembly have been women,” the PRS study of general Assembly election results said.</p>.<p>Interestingly, there has been a drop in the number of women candidates who contested the election. In 2018, 212 women contested the election, which came down to 184 this year.</p>