Sandeep Dikshit, 39, who has been elected to the Lok Sabha  from East Delhi, wants to give top priority to removing poverty and unemployment. These were issues that concerned me  even during my work with an NGO,” he says.

Son of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Sandeep feels that the political legacy of his family was only incidental in winning his  first election. “There was a pro-Congress atmosphere from which all party candidates in Delhi benefited. The work of the Congress government and the party’s campaign also helped. People voted for me because I was a Congress candidate,” he says.

 The Congress MP feels the people governing the country should have adequate experience and ideas to deliver. Representation to the youth is important but people in government should also understand issues,” he says. The gap in policy and its implementation was among the reasons that motivated Sandeep to join politics. Among the areas of immediate concern to him in East Delhi are sanitation, infrastructure and transport.  He also wants to work for the further success of the National Capital Region to ease the pressure on Delhi.

Make system more transparent

Sachin Pilot, 26, who won from Dausa in Rajasthan, wants to work for bringing greater transparency and accountability into the system. He says those in governance must have answers to people’s queries. “We need to tackle corruption which is very deep-rooted,” he says.

 The MP has been working among people in Dausa for the past four years. ``The party in its wisdom decided to give me a ticket,” he says.

Inspired by Sardar Patel and Indira Gandhi, Pilot sees “politics as a medium for public service.”

Acknowledging that the political legacy of his father Rajesh Pilot gave him an advantage in the Lok Sabha election, he wants to prove himself through his work to continue winning from his constituency.

People of Jhalawar are part of my family

Initially reluctant to contest the Lok Sabha poll, Dushyant Singh,30, says he was finally asked by the BJP to contest from Jhalawar which his mother Vasundhara Raje Scindia had won continuously since 1989.

Dushyant says that providing water for drinking and irrigation purposes is top on his agenda.

“I consider the people of Jhalawar as part of my family and their welfare is my main priority,” he says. Refusing to voice aims that are too high, he says that if all MPs take care of their constituencies, the country will be a happy place.

Dushyant feels that the BJP has been giving emphasis to issues concerning the youth and building a young leadership. Unwilling to answer questions about his being seen as a political heir to his mother, who is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Dushyant says his only focus is Jhalawar.

Plan to expedite development work

Milind Deora, 27, who won from Mumbai South, attributes his electoral success as much to his political background as to his own efforts to nurse the constituency in the past two-and-a-half years. His father Murali Deora has been a long-time president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee. He says being an MP will help him expedite development work in the constituency. He feels that political parties in Parliament should work together for the common good. “We may have differences outside, but inside Parliament, we should come together,” he says.

The young MP feels the new government at the Centre should have the right blend of experience and energy of the youth. There are many elder parliamentarians who also cater to aspirations and needs of the youth, he adds. He is one youngster who would like to ensure that the a scheme should be in place to protect the savings of senior citizens.

Get youth interested in politics

Jitin Prasada, 30, who won from Shahjahanpur, attributes his electoral success to the popularity of his late father Jitendra Prasada, a key aide of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. “ I sought votes in the name of my father,” he says.

Having nursed the ambition of contesting from the seat for the past three years, he says he was finally fielded as the Congress found him a suitable candidate. “I have been moving in the constituency for the past three years, trying to know the people better,” he says.

Prasada wants to kindle an interest among the educated youth for governance and politics.

“Educated youth are distancing themselves from politics. I want to revive their interest,” he says. The MP feels that it will be up to the party leadership to decide the kind of representation to be given to the youth in the new government. The experience of running an NGO is bound to come in handy.