In Indian politics, elderly leaders cling to power despite two-thirds of the nation’s population being under 35
Most of India’s leaders do not have royal titles, but a large number are the products of political dynasties that have proved remarkably resilient
At an age when most people are enjoying retirement, India’s oldest chief minister Virbhadra Singh is on the campaign trail, one of a number of ageing men still clinging to power in the youthful country.
At 83 he is hoping to snare a seventh term at the helm of Himachal Pradesh when the mountainous north Indian state that he has ruled for years goes to the polls on Thursday.
Singh, a stalwart of the Congress party that has held national power for much of independent India’s history, is far from alone.
Around two-thirds of India’s population is aged under 35, making it one of the youngest countries on earth.
But many of the its top regional leaders are elderly products of a quasi-dynastic system of rule that took root in the 20th century and now appears at odds with its youthful population.
The people respect me. They respect my family and lineage
Earlier this year the neighbouring state of Punjab, home to 28 million Indians, voted out its 89-year-old five-time chief minister Prakash Singh Badal.