Sweet Revenge: 25-Year-Old Beats Candidate Who Defeated His Father

In 2019, the Samajwadi Party fielded a five-time MLA and former minister in the UP Cabinet, Indrajeet Saroj, from the Kaushambi Lok Sabha Seat in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Saroj lost to BJP's Vinod Kumar Sonkar. Five years later, Mr Saroj's son, Pushpendra Saroj, who turned 25, was appointed the Samajwadi Party candidate from the same seat. The junior Saroj defeated Mr Sonkar by over 1 lakh votes, taking sweet revenge.

Twenty-five years and three-months-old Pushpendra Saroj is India's youngest Member of Parliament ever and has set the record for the highest win by a margin by the youngest parliamentarian. In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Mr Saroj said, "My father contested the seat in 2019 and lost to BJP's Vinod Kumar Sonkar. This time, I was appointed, and the BJP candidate said I defeated your father last time and now I'll defeat you. The people of Kaushambi took it upon themselves and voted for me."

In 2019, Indrajeet Saroj lost the seat to Mr Sankar by over 38,000 votes. 

'Entering Politics'

The youngest-ever MP told NDTV that he thought of entering politics when his father lost in 2019. 

"I knew in 2024, I'd turn 25. I decided to enter politics. I met our party President, Akhilesh Yadav. After speaking to me, he was convinced and suggested that I contest from the seat instead of my father," Mr Saroj told NDTV. 

The Samajwadi Party won 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh, an important state that sends 80 MPs to the lower house of the parliament. The party's ally, Congress, won eight seats and BJP, which had pinned hopes on Uttar Pradesh, won 32 seats and emerged as the second-largest party in the state. The Samajwadi Party's best-ever performance came as a surprise to the voters. 

'We Fought On  Core Issues'

On Samajwadi Party's stellar show in the state, the junior Saroj said, "I want to thank the people of UP for giving us such a big mandate. We fought on core issues that should be discussed and fought elections on. Unemployment, inflation, and exam paper leaks affect the youth, which are core issues. The people of Uttar Pradesh voted on these issues." 

"Akhilesh Yadav has a young vision and wants discussion in the parliament over core issues. The people of Uttar Pradesh have blessed us," he added.

'Haven't registered the win'

The youngest-ever MP said he was 24 years old when he started his campaigning. Pushpendra Saroj said, "Honestly, I haven't registered the win mentally. I will be representing my people in the parliament, they have put their faith in me and helped set two records - the biggest win by a margin by the youngest MP."

At 25, at least four candidates are set to become the youngest members of Parliament (MPs) after winning the Lok Sabha elections, the results of which were declared yesterday. Pushpendra Saroj and Priya Saroj fought on the Samajwadi Party's ticket, while Shambhavi Choudhary and Sanjana Jatav were fielded by the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Congress respectively.