FairPoint: Rahul Gandhi’s Gen Z Gamble: But Is It Listening?

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a clear bid to connect with India’s Gen Z,  a generation raised on the internet, smartphones, and social media.

His rallies, speeches, and outreach events increasingly aim to capture their imagination and align them with his political vision.

Gandhi seems inspired by youth-led movements in Nepal and other nations.

He believes that young people, armed with digital access and emotion-driven content, can be mobilised toward a larger cause.

The recent protests in Nepal, largely organised through online networks, appear to have strengthened this belief.

Gen Z has repeatedly proven its power to mobilise around issues that affect its freedoms and lifestyle.

In Nepal, outrage over a government-imposed social media ban led to massive protests.

Security forces opened fire, triggering widespread violence. The protesters then turned their anger into a larger anti-government movement that ousted the government on September 9.

Rahul Gandhi now hopes to channel similar youth energy in India, not through violence, but through activism and political participation.

His advisors seem convinced that India’s Gen Z can be galvanised in the same way.

This explains his recent focus on directly addressing Gen Z through speeches and social media. He used his ‘vote theft’ narrative to question the Modi government’s credibility.

After Nepal’s unrest, Gandhi posted on X, saying, “The youth, students, and Gen Z of the country will save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft.” His choice of words, democracy, Constitution, and rights, strongly appeals to Gen Z’s sense of fairness and justice.

He reiterated this message on November 5, a day before Bihar’s first phase of polling. He urged young voters to take ownership of their future

Citing alleged rigging in Haryana’s Assembly elections, he declared that India’s Gen Z holds the power to restore democracy through ‘satya and ahimsa.’

Gandhi’s strategy draws heavily from the youth movements in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, all powered by young, digitally connected citizens.

Yet, while his tone is conversational and youth-centric, India’s Gen Z remains largely passive.

They are watching and scrolling, but not marching. For now, they seem intrigued but unconvinced.

The real verdict will come with Bihar’s election results, a test not only of political arithmetic but of whether Rahul Gandhi’s Gen Z gamble truly resonates.

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