Bring our voting age down to 10

Britain, in a moment of brain-Starmering enlightenment, has announced it will lower its voting age from 18 to 16 from 2029. Presumably because British kids who are now 12, will, in four years' time, between all those TikTok dances, be politically mature. Which is why India, ever the overachiever in aspirational matters and spirit-boosting, must go further. Let's drop the voting age to 10. Why? Because voting, thanks to our excellent EC and no-nonsense rhyming politicians, has become child's play.

At 10, Indian kids have mastered school-home diplomacy, coalition-building within the family, and the art of strategic tantrums - skills we already see mirrored in parliamentary proceedings. They know how to promise candy and deliver floss. 'Everything is Raju's fault!' and 'Only if you're in my team' are lines that make our democracy 'like this only'. Subteens, like today's 18-plus voters, also cast their ballots in non-parliamentary voting exercises based on who the coolest candidate is, not on boring issues. Critics will argue that 10-year-olds lack economic understanding. But so do... well, never mind the free electricity pre-poll promises. They're too emotional? Have you seen the news? Lowering the voting age to 10 isn't just progressive - it acknowledges that in a country where maturity is a civilisational given, age is just a vote share.