Young bloggers want the next PM to have looks, flair and travel by limo

Members of Generation Next still hanker after a prime minister from their peer group, even if the wish appears a little unrealistic.

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Members of Generation Next still hanker after a prime minister from their peer group, even if the wish appears a little unrealistic. In interviews published in The Hindustan Times, which have been quoted in a blog on Siliconindia.com, the majority of young men and women talk about their ideal leader giving priority to glamour and appearance over such qualities as intelligence, vision, honesty and integrity. The wish list is long - and often odd.

He should be "a techie kind of guy. Basically he should be a leader with immense style," Pragati Gupta, a student, said. A similar opinion was expressed by Rachana Sethi, 25, also a student, who thinks the ideal prime minister should be on social networking websites Orkut and Facebook and should share his pictures and "little titbits about his personal life". Vikram, 22, a student, would like the ideal leader to travel in a Mercedes or in limousines and not in old-fashioned Ambassador cars.

"I would appreciate if our PM boozes once in a while," the post quoted Raj Dhingra, 23, as saying. "I am sure that the 'poor man' will need something to beat the coalition stress." Appearance also matters. Vinay Madan, 27, a banker, would like Rahul Gandhi to be the prime minister because "it has been ages since India saw a handsome leader". There are, however, some, such as Ruchita Pant, 29, who want the prime minister to be a "good boy", adventurous and "interested in trekking and water sports".

While these young men and women expressed hope that "the outcome would at least be half as close to what they have in their minds", not all of them want a "superstar", but still a young and strong leader who can put the country on the fast track of development. "Our India needs change," Manpreet Singh, a student, wrote on toostep.com. "The representatives of Gen Next are generally asking for a young, visionary, dependable and trustworthy person to become the prime minister of India," said a post on jpjopenpage.blogspot.com.

Most young people seem to favour Mr Gandhi, but he has dismissed talk of taking the role in the near future because of a lack of experience.