- Delhi BJP plans to boost youth engagement after feedback on youth issues and Gen Z protests
- Outreach will involve state leaders, MLAs, ministers, BJYM, and ABVP in colleges and universities
- Delhi BJP held a student interaction titled Yuva Samvad with nearly 100 attendees discussing education
The Delhi BJP has decided to intensify its engagement with young voters after internal feedback indicated that the party needed to respond more actively to issues concerning the youth, sources told NDTV.
The move follows the recent Gen Z-led protest at Jantar Mantar, which a senior party functionary acknowledged had taken the organisation "somewhat by surprise".
"We will now intensify our outreach and engage more actively with the youth," Delhi BJP media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor told NDTV.
According to party sources, the outreach will operate at three levels - the Delhi BJP's state organisation, party MLAs and ministers, and youth and student bodies. The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, or BJYM, is expected to be given greater responsibility, while the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, or ABVP, will play a key role in colleges and universities across the national capital.
"Movement Took Us By Surprise"
Kapoor said the BJP had consistently attempted to bring younger leaders into its organisation and governments.
He cited the elevation of former Delhi University Students' Union office-bearers to prominent roles in the Delhi government and the appointment of younger leaders to key party positions.
The party also has age limits for certain organisational posts, he said. A Mandal president must be below the age of 45, while a Yuva Morcha president must be 40 or younger.
However, Kapoor acknowledged that the recent student mobilisation had prompted the party to accelerate its outreach.
"To be completely honest, this student movement did take us somewhat by surprise," he said.
"A political party must always be prepared to connect with the next generation. This movement has encouraged us to move even faster," he added.
No specific targets have been set and individual responsibilities have not yet been assigned, Kapoor said. The Yuva Morcha, however, will be given a larger role in the outreach.
BJP Begins Student Interactions
The party began stepping up its engagement soon after the Jantar Mantar protest ended, according to Kapoor.
He said Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra listened to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat programme with Yuva Morcha workers the following morning. Malhotra later held an interaction with students from Delhi University and other educational institutions in the city.
Kapoor said nearly 100 students attended the interaction. Among which, the number of participating students was around 50, along with some parents who accompanied them.
The programme, titled "Yuva Samvad: Gen-Z with Modi", included discussions on higher education, curriculum changes and issues related to nation-building, according to the party.
Participants also discussed the Jantar Mantar protest.
The BJP claimed that some students criticised the protest and alleged that objectionable remarks had been made during the demonstration.
At the interaction, Malhotra highlighted the expansion of medical institutions and education seats under the Narendra Modi government since 2014. He said programmes such as Yuva Samvad gave young people a platform to express their views and contribute to conversations on national development.
"Today's younger generation is aware and wants to express its views on every issue based on facts and reasoning," Malhotra said at the event.
Three-Level Outreach Plan
Sources said the Delhi BJP's youth push would not be confined to programmes organised by its state leadership.
Party MLAs and ministers are also expected to increase their interactions with young people, while the BJYM and student organisations will focus on colleges and universities.
The strategy is still being developed, and no formal calendar or measurable targets have been finalised.
The immediate objective, sources said, is to create more opportunities for direct conversations with students and young voters and to respond more quickly to issues emerging on campuses.
Kapoor said the BJP had always believed in moving forward "hand in hand with the younger generation", but accepted that the Jantar Mantar mobilisation had underlined the need for more active engagement.
ABVP Begins Week-Long DU Freshers Campaign
The renewed focus on young voters coincides with the beginning of the new academic session at Delhi University.
On Tuesday, the ABVP launched its "Welcome Freshers" campaign across DU colleges. The programme will continue for a week and cover different colleges across the university, an ABVP functionary told NDTV.
Along with welcoming and assisting newly admitted students, ABVP workers will make freshers aware of educational reforms and initiatives undertaken by the government, the functionary said.
The campaign will also introduce students to ABVP programmes involving social service, innovation, cultural activities, sports and personality development. These include Students for Seva, Students for Development, Rashtriya Kala Manch and Khelo Bharat.
On the first day of the academic session, ABVP volunteers welcomed students with tilak, flower petals and sweets and set up help desks to assist them and their parents.
According to the student organisation, volunteers helped freshers with document verification, class schedules, orientation programmes, departmental information and directions to classrooms.
Students arriving from outside Delhi were also offered guidance on accommodation, transport and other local arrangements.
ABVP Delhi state secretary Sarthak Sharma said the organisation wanted new students to feel supported from the beginning of their university life. "Our primary objective is to stay connected with students, understand their concerns and work consistently for their academic interests and holistic development," he told NDTV.
Sharma said ABVP's engagement with students continued throughout the year and was not restricted to a particular protest or event. "With regard to the Jantar Mantar protest, it would be incorrect to conclude that our campus outreach increased or decreased because of that movement," he said.
The organisation's programmes follow a year-round calendar covering student welfare, educational reforms, academic concerns and campus development, he added.
The week-long freshers' drive will combine student assistance with discussions on education reforms and opportunities for participation in ABVP's campus initiatives.
For the Delhi BJP, the larger objective is to expand direct engagement with young people through its political and student networks and remain more closely connected to the issues shaping conversations among Gen Z voters. But will it translate into a deeper and lasting connection with Delhi's young voters?
