Should children be involved in political campaigning?, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, led by actor C. Joseph Vijay, won the recent Tamil Nadu State elections in May, largely due to its appeal among young people.
• A petition filed by a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate challenged Mr. Vijay's alleged appeal to children to influence their parents' votes.
• The High Court dismissed the petition but criticized the involvement of children in elections as "bad taste" and "politically motivated."
• Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy suggested Parliament consider making such acts grounds for setting aside election results.
• The debate centers on children's right to political participation versus their potential manipulation as instruments of persuasion.

Detailed Insights:

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) affirms children's right to participate in politics and express their views.
• Critics argue that using children to "pester" parents for votes is a crossover from consumer marketing tactics into electoral campaigns.
• This method is seen as manipulative because it leverages a child's emotional attachment to a celebrity to influence an adult's voting choice, bypassing rational persuasion.
• UNICEF's participation framework distinguishes between genuine child participation and manipulative or tokenistic involvement.
• While adults possess agency to make independent voting decisions, children lack the same capacity for informed political choices.
• The Representation of the People Act, 1951, specifically Section 123, addresses "undue influence" in elections, which involves interfering with the free exercise of electoral rights.
• There is a call for a precisely drawn law to regulate child involvement in campaigning, ensuring their voice is not exploited by adults.

Key Concepts Involved:

• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC): An international treaty outlining the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children.
• Pester Power: The ability of children to influence their parents' purchasing decisions or other choices through repeated requests.
• Undue Influence: A legal term under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, referring to direct or indirect interference with the free exercise of an electoral right.
• Agency: An individual's capacity to act independently and make their own free choices.