In a nation that will turn 70 this year, age has never mattered much in political leadership. National parties have created “youth” wings with people who are anything but young and, in the case that they are, don’t always look the part.

But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to ensure that this pattern does not continue. The party leadership has notified all its units to ensure no office-bearer in the youth wing should be over 40 years of age, reports News18.

The process was triggered by the sight of “over-aged youth” in the Bihar unit of the Yuva Morcha. Bihar Yuva Morcha chief and Patna Member of Legislative Assembly Nitin Naveen was put in charge of ridding the youth wing of those who didn’t fit the bill.

This had the ‘not-so-young’ youth-wing office-bearers resorting to changing their age and date of birth on social media, much to the bemusement of the party leadership.

The new rules have been sent by the general secretary in charge of organisation, Ram Lal, and require that the youth BJP leaders not only be aged under 40 but look the part too.

And unlike the Margadarshak mandal, or the advisory board that was constituted to accommodate senior leaders aged over 75 years, there would be no place for those who don’t fit the bill in the youth wing. They will have to simply prove their mettle and find a place among other members.

As reported by The Hindustan Times, action in this direction has already begun with the dissolution of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha units for Maharashtra and Mumbai on Tuesday (25 July).

The age bar is further lower, at 30, for districts and lower units, with special preference for those who are social-media-savvy.