V Lasya Priya, IMA Political Science Department, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been awarded the Best Reply Award at the National Youth Parliament 2025.
She says, “This journey—spanning from the district to the national level—has been one of the most enriching and memorable experiences of my life.
It all began with a one-minute video on “What does Viksit Bharat mean to me?”—a video I recorded right on my university campus after receiving information about the event through a phone call from an employee at Gowri Grandhalayam in Anakapalli. That small moment sparked the beginning of something truly special.
After being shortlisted, I participated in the district-level competition held at GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, where I spoke on “One Nation, One Election: Paving the Way for Viksit Bharat”. Out of the many participants, ten of us were selected for the state-level round, held on 28th March at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur. There, 90 participants from various nodal districts competed, and three of us were chosen to represent Andhra Pradesh at the national level.
Within just two days, we headed to Delhi on 31st March. We were accommodated at Hotel Ashoka and briefed about the proceedings. The event, held from 1st to 3rd April 2025, kicked off with a visit to the PM Sangrahalaya, a deeply inspiring experience.
The main event was on 2nd and 3rd April. The whole competition was set in 3 rounds. First round was an opening statement. All the states and UTs were divided into 4 groups and given a topic each. My teammate Sivani took up this round. The second round was the question hour. There were 2 question hours and states were divided accordingly and were allotted either an MP who asks the question and a Minister who answers it. Andhra Pradesh got the Minister of Corporate Affairs and had to answer the question given by MP of Jharkhand. we have received the question at 2pm the previous day and we had to give an answer in the question hour. I had the opportunity to answer the question given to the team. Here also we were given 3 minutes to answer. And the third round was a short discussion and same like first round another topic was given to us.
We also had the privilege of visiting the Rajya Sabha gallery and witnessing live proceedings—an unforgettable experience that gave us a real glimpse into the heart of Indian democracy.
The final day was marked by the prize distribution ceremony. After the Youth Awards for 2021–22 and 2022–23 was announced, the winners of the Youth Parliament were declared. Four awards were presented: Best Opening Statement, Best Question, Best Reply, and Best Short Discussion. I was humbled and proud to receive the Best Reply Award—a truly special moment made even more memorable as I received the award from Mr Mansukh Mandaviya and Smt. Raksha Khadse.
The greatest reward has been the opportunity to engage with dynamic young leaders from across India, to hear diverse perspectives, and to interact with inspiring figures like Ms Bansuri Swaraj and Mr Krishna Devarayalu and others.
I feel truly privileged to have been part of this transformative journey and will carry these lessons, experiences, and memories with me always.”
Congratulations to Lasya Priya on this achievement.