Next LS not to have any 10-term MP!

There will be no ten-term MPs in the new Lok Sabha! And the Lok Sabha may be a bit younger as the oldies are giving way to juniors.

The senior most nine-term MPs in the outgoing Lok Sabha, Congress' Kamal Nath and LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan are not contesting this time while former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma is no more.

The incoming Lower House will see the departure of several veterans like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi while BJP's Maneka Gandhi could be among one of the senior-most MPs with eight terms if she wins from Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur, where she is contesting this time.

Like Maneka, Advani is a seven-term MP at present while Joshi and Uma Bharti, who is also not contesting, are six-term lawmakers.

Those who may not make into the seniority list include four present eight-term MPs — Kariya Munda and Sumitra Mahajan (BJP), Arjun Charan Sethi (BJD MP who joined the BJP recently) and JMM's Shibu Soren— but almost all may not find their place in their parties' candidate list.

Sethi's son will be contesting in his seat while Munda has been denied a ticket, prompting him to say "I went to Lok Sabha from farming and I will return to farming. I was in politics to serve the people, not due to any vested interest".

Mahajan has now left her fate to party's decision.

Union minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Congress' K H Muniyappa and Biren Singh Engti may give company to Maneka in the seniority list but Congress' Kerala MP Mullappally Ramachandran is not contesting while the BJP has denied ticket to Ramesh Bais. All are seven term MPs.

The average of MPs in the outgoing Lok Sabha is 55.64 years, the highest in Indian electoral history.

The MPs in the first Lok Sabha in 1952-57 had an average age of 46.5 years while the lowest was 46.4 years in 12th Lok Sabha (1998-99).