BJP ditches Gen Z, to go with 'yuva' in outreach to young voters

The BJP will no longer use the term Gen Z to address young people in its political outreach and will instead use the broader term 'yuva', sources told India Today TV. The party believes 'yuva' is more inclusive and covers young people across generations, they said.

The move comes at a time when the BJP has stepped up its youth outreach following the CJP-led student protests over the NEET-UG paper leak, which led to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July.

At a BJP youth-outreach brainstorming session in August, young party leaders discussed ways to engage with younger Indians. The term Gen Z was reportedly avoided, with participants instead referring to “youth” and “students”.

The BJP's view is that young people are not a homogeneous group and have different aspirations across regions and backgrounds, sources said.

The shift is notable because the BJP had recently used Gen Z prominently in its outreach.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned to Instagram Reels and selfie-style videos to connect with younger audiences, while the BJP used memes, pop-culture references and short-form videos as part of its digital campaign. The party and RSS also expanded their outreach through younger leaders and local programmes.

Pradhan himself used the term Gen Z after his resignation. In August, he said, “Gen Z is our children” and alleged that some people had attempted to mislead them during the NEET protests.

PM Modi and other BJP leaders have also spoken about Gen Z's role in India's development, creativity and aspirations. The government's youth-focused messaging has included education, skills, technology and employment.

Hence, the use of 'yuva' by the BJP appears to be about terminology rather than a shift away from youth outreach. The party wants yuva to serve as an umbrella term for young Indians across generations instead of defining them through the narrower Gen Z label.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 21, 2026 14:43 IST