The recently held urban local body polls in Rajasthan saw a limited but notable entry of Gen Z candidates into local government, with six young candidates winning in Jaipur.
In the Jaipur Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP and Congress fielded 18 Gen Z candidates across 150 wards. The Congress nominated 12, twice the BJP’s six.
Four Congress candidates and two BJP candidates won, meaning Gen Z councillors will make up around four per cent of the civic body.
Among the youngest winners was 21-year-old Congress candidate Faiz Hasan from Ward 71, who defeated 39-year-old Independent candidate Mohammad Salim. BJP’s 21-year-old Palak Yadav won Ward 10 against 39-year-old Congress candidate Vandana Jakhar.
In Ward 115, 29-year-old BJP candidate Suraj Godiwal defeated 67-year-old Congress candidate Suresh Biwal by 1,063 votes, creating a 38-year generational gap between the two contestants.
In Alwar’s Thanagazi ward, 21-year-old journalist Neha Sharma won her first election. She said reporting from rural Rajasthan exposed her to villagers and farmers travelling to Jaipur and waiting for politicians or government offices to address their grievances.
Sharma said merely reporting their problems was not enough and motivated her to enter public life directly. “Kyun na shuruwaat khud se hi ki jaaye?” she said.
