Indian politics today looks very different from the staid, soporific, detached and cynical years preceding the Anna Andolan of 2011. The rise of an opinionated working class leveraging the power of technology and social media, the increasing focus on development narrative, and the shift away from caste and a new consolidation of religion have been key features of this shift.

One element that has not got due acknowledgement is the rise of young leaders across political parties. These leaders, a mix of those from political families and self-made faces, are increasingly playing a dominant role in their respective political ecosystems.

When it came to age, Indian politics was long governed by the iconic Mark Twain quote - “Age is a matter of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”. For many years, the electorate didn’t seem to mind age as a principal differentiator of political clout.

All this changed for the better with the rise of two very different individuals to the national political scene in 2012-13. In Narendra Modi’s exhortation of the youth to aspire and achieve, and in Arvind Kejriwal’s call for sweeping political revolution, age became an important political differentiator. It was ironic that it took a 60 plus Modi to drive a large part of the change. Nonetheless, cutting across the political spectrum, there is now a greater emphasis on promoting young, promising political leaders at the national centre stage - a welcome change for a country brimming with youthful energy and drive.

The definition of young itself is undergoing a perception change - not long ago, anyone under 65 was considered a young politician. While we are far from having a President Obama or a President Macron equivalent, the expectations have certainly hardened.

This list of relatively young, promising politicians, accounts for two factors - a 55 year age barrier, and names which are still not national in influence. The list also takes into account the probability of the individuals making a national splash in the near term - say the next decade.