Rajasthan local body polls: Congress launches ‘Gen Z for Change’ campaign

The Indian National Congress has officially launched the Gen Z for Change campaign and established a state-level Professional Gen Z Committee in Rajasthan ahead of the state's upcoming municipal and panchayat elections. The initiative represents an effort by the opposition party to move beyond traditional political outreach and build strong connections with digitally active younger voters across the state.

The timing of the campaign coincides with major local body elections in Rajasthan. Voting for all 309 urban local bodies will be held in two phases on September 9 and September 11. While Rajasthan is scheduled to hold its next state assembly elections in 2028, the local body polls provide an immediate platform for parties to mobilize voters. Historically, political power in Rajasthan has alternated between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress every five years since 1993.

Congress leaders highlighted that the Gen Z for Change campaign will concentrate on key youth issues, including employment, education, career opportunities, skill development, and artificial intelligence. Rather than focusing solely on electoral mobilization, the party plans to offer practical support through career counseling sessions, internship opportunities, free artificial intelligence workshops, and legal assistance for digital content creators.

Sumit Bhagasara, head of the Rajasthan Congress Social Media and Digital Platforms Department, explained that younger generations are uniquely positioned to address their own challenges. He noted that the Professional Gen Z Committee has been constituted with this objective to better understand and represent the aspirations and concerns of Gen Z voters.

To ensure the campaign extends into offline spaces, Congress intends to conduct direct outreach on university and college campuses. District-level Gen Z committees will be formed to interact with students, collect their feedback, and convey their primary concerns directly to the state leadership.

The emphasis on youth engagement comes amid widespread national attention on student issues and recruitment standards. Student protests over examination irregularities led to the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July. In Jharkhand, job aspirants and student unions recently announced a 60-day suspension of their month-long sit-in after the state government conceded to almost all of their key demands regarding recruitment exam irregularities.

Following the conclusion of the Rajasthan local body polls, the party plans to prepare a detailed report documenting the concerns and suggestions raised by the state's Gen Z population. This document will be submitted to former party chief Rahul Gandhi and top Rajasthan Congress leadership to help bring local youth issues into national political discussions.

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