Who's going to earn the Gen-Z vote?

lsquoWersquoll start pet ambulances and clinicsrsquoBeing 29 Ankit Sunil Prabhu feels that he can bridge the gap between the generation 10 years older than him and the one 10 years younger PicSatej ShindeAnkit Sunil Prabhu 29Shiv Sena UBTWard PSouth No 54 Goregaon EastIf elected focus will be on Climate and pet issuesAkshita MaheshwariStepping down from the Aarey Metro station on the Red Line this writer looks for a footpath to walk over to meet prospective candidate for PSouth Ward number 54 Ankit Sunil Prabhu Ten steps in and the pavement breaks down Suddenly itrsquos just rocks with a green cover for a construction site In places itrsquos the BMC under construction yellow sign board Finally we give up and just step on to the road half of which is taken over by the construction site In a hurry one of the auto rickshaws almost runs us over All of this for a 10minute walk We think ldquoWhen will we become a walkable cityrdquo Itrsquos a question we ask Prabhu also He says ldquoIrsquom a civil engineer I can see these sites and I know theyrsquore not supposed to take so long to be constructed But there is such a deep lack of coordination in the BMC that the same roads keep getting dug up again and again to upgrade utility supplies like water pipes Internet wiring etc under the roads If I am elected I want to solve these stupid miscommunications that waste so much taxpayer moneyrdquoPrabhu was interested in politics from a very young age Son to Shiv Sena UBT MLA Sunil Prabhu it was pretty much in his blood ldquoIn 2012 I was doing engineering from Government Polytechnic College I was associated with the Yuva Sena youth wing of Shiv SenaSo I started raising my voice about hygiene issues in the canteen dirty bathrooms the timeliness of lectures or how there was no proper girls common room in the collegerdquo he says ldquoThese things seem so miniscule now but when yoursquore in college they affect you every day Thatrsquos how politics beginsrdquoBut today Prabhu is 29 He is part of the core committee of the Yuva Sena When we meet him hersquos just come back from a poll drive He has a big smile on his face We ask him what campaigning has been like ldquoI meet so many young people onground The number one thing they tell me is that theyrsquore happy to see a person of their age representing them They see that I am educated they see that I understand their issues Thatrsquos the way to connect with the youthrdquo he says ldquoThe BMC election is the time to focus on civic issues What affects our everyday life is footpaths the accessibility of our public transport pollution in this city mdash not religious wars I am religious too I do my pooja everyday I started my campaign by going to a Ganpati temple But that is not the agenda of my campaign Thatrsquos why youngsters connect with merdquoAnd what exactly are the issues he hears about from the youth He answers ldquoClimate Our party introduced electronic BEST buses Although other parties may have inaugurated them we proposed the plan In our manifesto we have included a climate action plan Right now whenever the AQI worsens the BMC just starts spraying water on the roads That is not a longterm plan We want to put restrictions on the ongoing construction sites and layout standard operating procedures to control their carbon footprint We want BMC officers to shift to EVs electric vehicles to send a message to our citizensrdquoIn his own ward a big problem is the water supply ldquoOur current water supply stands at 60 MLD million litres per day Over the years the population of this area has increased and it water supply is no longer sufficient Supply is often priortised for buildings and slums are left behind Someone brought a bottle of water supplied by the BMC to me during campaigning The water was black in colour So we not only want to increase the supply of clean water by 10 MLD but also make the distribution of water even We have proposed desalination of water which means we can use the sea water for domestic use We also plan on regularising the waste collection vehicles which have stopped coming to some areas recently with proper waste segregation SOPsrdquoPerhaps an issue most close to the young hearts are their beloved pets ldquoWe recognise this and thatrsquos why we plan on opening a pet park here in Goregaon We will start more pet clinics and a pet ambulance We want to start transparentdoor shelters where all community dogs can be nurtured and vaccinated and onlookers on the streets can see themrdquoldquoBeing 29 I understand the generation 10 years older than me and 10 years younger as well My age is the biggest asset to bridge this generation gap My vision serves both these generationsrdquo he ends with this thoughtPiciStocklsquoGutters need to be closed roads will be betterrsquoKhushbu GuptaKhushbu Gupta 21 CongressWardS number 120 Vikhroli WestIf elected focus will be on Closing open drains and provide proper road developmentTanisha BanerjeeWalking through Surya Nagar in Vikhroli West feels like moving through a maze built on neglect Open sewage runs alongside narrow lanes where even a twowheeler struggles to pass The air carries the smells of stagnant water and daily life unfolding at close quartersChildren roll loose bicycle tyres dogs are stretched under thin patches of sunlight and voices echo between tightly packed homes In the middle of it all under a small red tent sits Khushbu Gupta 21 listening intently as residents approach her one by oneKhushbu Gupta promises the development of parks in the area to avoid diseases caused by sedentary lifestyles PicsTanisha BanerjeeldquoI felt I had an opportunity to do something meaningful during these electionsrdquo Gupta says her words tumbling out with urgency ldquoEven though my education is still ongoing I wanted to stand for elections and serve people in a different wayrdquo A finalyear student of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery she sees politics as an extension of her calling ldquoAs a doctor I will help people anywayrdquo she says ldquoBut through this route I can help them much earlier by preventing the illnesses that are so common in this areardquoHer political awakening began in college ldquoIn my second year I started noticing how people here are livingrdquo she says ldquoThere is no regular water supply no proper sewage system and barely any basic facilitiesrdquo What troubled her most was how familiar these conditions were ldquoWe are taught that prevention is better than curerdquo she adds ldquoBut here the environment itself is making people sickrdquoInfrastructure she says is inseparable from health ldquoThe roads are extremely bad and accidents happen all the timerdquo Gupta explains ldquoEven if I treat people after they are injured or fall ill what is the point if the system keeps putting them at riskrdquo That realisation pushed her towards civic power ldquoAs a corporator I will actually have the authority to bring change at the root levelrdquo she says One of her poll promises ldquois ensuring proper water supply road development and most importantly eliminating open guttersrdquo Gupta says ldquoThese open gutters are the primary reason we see so many malaria and dengue cases here every yearrdquoShe questions why the cityrsquos image has not translated into dignity for its residents ldquoMumbai is called a metropolitan city a mahanagarrdquo she says ldquoThen why are people still fighting for basic facilities in 2026rdquo For her accountability begins with asking uncomfortable questions ldquoWhy are we still demandingthe same basic things after so many yearsrdquo she asks ldquoWe should be questioning our corporators instead of accepting this as normalrdquoGupta wants the conversation to move forward ldquoWe should be talking about newer issues now mdash the lack of hospitals and BMC dispensaries for the poor the absence of ambulance facilities and the complete lack of gardensrdquo she says Health she believes goes beyond hospitals ldquoPeople today suffer from lifestyle diseases because there is no space to walk no parks no outdoor gym equipmentrdquo she explains ldquoI have rallied across this area and realised just how serious the situation has becomerdquoDespite her age she is clear about her approach to leadership ldquoI have an understanding of technology and I want to bring an integrative approach to governancerdquo she says ldquoI know I am young and experience comes with time but intent has to come firstrdquo She emphasises listening over authority ldquoI want to take input directly from the publicrdquo she says ldquoThatrsquos how I gauge whatrsquos wrong with the areardquoIf elected she says her priorities will be immediate and visible ldquoI will make sure the gutters are closed hygiene is improved and basic facilities are providedrdquo Gupta says She pauses then adds firmly ldquoThese are not luxury demands These are basic human rightsrdquo She believes her youth is her strongest political tool ldquoPeople my age are tired of seeing the same politicians and no improvementrdquo she says ldquoThatrsquos why theyrsquove lost interest in politicsrdquo During her rallies she notices something shift ldquoChildren walk alongside me during campaigningrdquo she says smiling ldquoI want them to feel comfortable with me to relate to me and to witness what change can actually look like someone from their own generationrdquoAs she gets up to show the writer her way out a chorus of women start clapping from the background as if enchanted by the way Gupta narrated their ldquolocal muddasrdquolsquoEvery time Gen Z complains I remind them to votersquoSundhanshu Dunbale believes that being 24 is an asset and wants a chance to prove himself PicAtul KambleSudhanshu Dunbale 24MNSWard SC 152 ChemburIf elected focus will be on Upliftment of Dalit population and fighting for more funds that will enable upgrade in civic infrastructure in his wardArpika BhosaleChembur has always had the advantage of being one of the most strategically located suburbs in the city Its proximity to the western suburbs aside it also has enviable access to South Mumbai Atal Setu and Navi Mumbai by virtue of being the entryexit point of the Eastern FreewayBut this advantage has not translated into similar attention to the suburbrsquos civic infrastructure says Sudhanshu Dunbale a Gen Z aspirant who has beenwooing voters in his ward ldquoChembur has extremely posh pockets but there are areas that havealways had bad infrastructureand no one seems to care about them after electionsrdquo he says ldquoI want to start with the basics like good education health infrastructure for pockets like Siddharth Nagar where most of our Dalit brothers and sisters liverdquo he saysldquoYou might think I donrsquot have an lsquoinspiredrsquo plan but for anyone who has seen these areas this is inspired Of course we are looking at improving civic infrastructure in general but for that I plan to fight for every penny from the state budget and get our ward some decent fundingrdquo he addsWe meet Dunbale at his home during a short lunch break amid doortodoor campaigning at Subhash Nagar and Siddharth Nagar both of which house among the largest DalitBahujan pockets in the city No matter how many highrises are built across from their slums residents in these two neighbourhoods still struggle for the basics mdash roti kapda aur makaan ldquoWithout putting anyone down I feel that many of our representatives have barely passed 10th or 12th grade and that puts them at a great disadvantage when fighting for the rights of peoplerdquo says Dunbale a lawyer who also runs his own marketing agency He entered politics because ldquoI grew up seeing my father Karnabala Dunbale a former corporator serve the people of Chembur tirelesslyrdquoldquoI have actively followed politics and accompanied my father and uncle on campaigns for over eight years so the desire to serve the people in our area is inbuiltrdquo he addsWhich is why he feels that his inexperience as a corporator is a moot point ldquoUntil I get a chance how will I get experiencerdquo he asks and quips ldquoTechnically I have had grassrootslevel experience since birthrdquoAnd what of his peers who have not had a good track record of turning up to vote ldquoI tell them Gen Z every time you are late for college or work because of traffic or train delays and complain remember that it was you who did not turn up to vote Itrsquos not like they are not interested in knowing more about whatrsquos happening but I feel that they have become too cynical about what politics can do for themrdquo he addsAs we take off we meet Julie and Rhino the family pitbull and Shih Tzu respectively Julie has been chained because prepoll footfall at the house is very high at the moment says Dunbale but she usually roams freely We wish the young candidate good luck and pat comes the response ldquoThere is only one outcome I will win because I have worked hard for my people and they know itrdquo he sayslsquoThe youth are angry but have no way to change thingsrsquoBaban Thoke L and Pragya Prabhulkar R want to clean the slums of GovandiMankhurd PicSayyed Sameer AbediBabanThoke 33IndependentWard number meast no 141 govandiIf elected focus will be on Stopping the privatisation of governmentsPragya Prabhulkar33IndependentWard number MEast No 140 GovandiIf elected focus will be on Clean water supply and toilets to develop schools and dispensariesAkshita MaheshwariGovandiMankhurd is about a 20minute ride from Ghatkopar railway station As this writer steps out of an already packed train onto an even more crowded platform we feel lost in a sea of people But this crowd is nothing compared to the density of the slum that is our next destination For commuters the crowd at a station or train is an inconvenience that lasts a few hours at most for the people of Govandi overcrowding is home In one of these humble homes sit Pragya Prabhulkar and Baban Thoke both independent candidates associated with the Revolutionary Workers Party of India RWPI and fighting the BMC polls from wards 140 and 141 respectively The room is decked from ceiling to floor in writings of Ambedkar books on policy making Lenin and MarxPrabhulkar has just returned from a campaign rally Her voice is almost gone She takes a big sip of water and launches into her story She grew up in the slums of Byculla When her home went into redevelopment her family was relocated to Lallubhai Compound in Govandi ldquoAll my life I have seen the difference between a vertical settlement and a horizontal settlementrdquo she gestures with her hands voice cracking ldquoWe saw that the people of vertical settlements got better jobs better education My father worked very hard too but he couldnrsquot make the kind of money they didrdquoPrabhulkar decided to get into social work She worked hard organised protests In May 2025 when the water supply in the Govandi neighbourhood of Gautam Nagar got contaminated by sewage water she and Baban Thoke mdash fellow partyman and social worker mdash were among RWPI workers who agitated and got the problem fixed During the pandemic they set up community kitchens to feed the hungryThoke is 33 He was born to a family of farmers in Hingoli Marathwada ldquoI come from a working class family and started my life with child labourrdquo he says ldquoWhen I was 12 I used to work for 15 a day My father had passed away and I had siblings to feed Right from childhood I have seen the woes of families like mine Irsquom from an Ambedkarite background Eventually I got interested in Bhagat Singh and then Marxism and Lenin I studied policy and administration for my postgraduate degreerdquoSo what are the issues that make the campaign of these two So what are the issues that make the campaign of these two The slums in GovandiMankhurd house about six lakh people Theyrsquore right next door to the Deonar dumping ground the biggest one in Asia and home to a 12storey mountain of trash Their water supply is contaminated regularly by gutter water There is a rampant drug problem among the youth All of this means heightened cases of tuberculosis dengue malaria asthma and many more diseases For all of this they have two BMCoperated hospitals the 580bed Pt Madanmohan Malaviya Shatabdi Hospital and the 480bed Lallubhai Compound Hospital And now both of them stand to be privatised One of the parties reportedly interested in the Shatabdi Hospital is Terna Public Charitable Trust headed by Padmasinh Patil brotherinlaw to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar Pawarrsquos nephew BJP Tuljapur MLA Ranajagjitsinha Patil is also a trustee If privatised only 264 of the 580 beds at Shatabdi Hospital and 150 of the 480 beds at Lalllubhai Compound Hospital will be reserved for BMC patients This is an alarming prospect in a neighbourhood where residents are vulnerable to disease and canrsquot afford private healthcareldquoThis is the kind of problem that brings down politicians takes away seats Itrsquos the main cause of our campaign We have to stop this privatisationrdquo says ThokeThe duo also aims to tackle the poor living conditions making residents sick in the first place ldquoWhen we win the election we will pass a clear budget to clean the gutters get clean water supply toilets and develop government schools dispensaries and hospitalsrdquo says Prabhulkar ldquoWe will use the budget to solve infrastructure problems ourselves We will set up lsquoJann Committeesrsquo in all parts of Ward 140 to understand what the issues of the people are All the budgets will be audited and explained to the people through these committeesrdquoDespite their best efforts Thoke isnrsquot completely happy with this campaign We ask why he bears a dejected look ldquoThe issues we talk about affect not just the working class but also the lower middle middle and to some extent even the uppermiddle class They should be out on the streets but theyrsquore not The youth is angry even I feel it But therersquos nothing to channelise this angerrdquo he says ldquoThey donrsquot know how to learn better either How could they Every piece of media be it education films or even news is filled with capitalist propaganda The capitalist class has affected the petite bourgeoisie so intensely that they have stopped understanding their own issues Today Gen Z has no political consciousness and they are still older than Gen Alpha Things only seem to be getting worse for them Gen AlphardquolsquoPublic service has been a part of my lifersquoAfter years of social service Omkar Pawar decided to enter the political fray in Lower Parel for the first time PicAshish RajeOmkar Pawar 29CongressVBAWard number GS 195Lower ParelIf elected focus will be on Water shortage upliftment of local schoolsTanisha BanerjeeIn a secluded pocket of Lower Parel away from the restless arteries of Worli Omkar Pawar sits on a modest stage that doubles as his campaign headquarters As the interview unfolds a passerby calls out to him casually from across the street Pawar lifts his hand in greeting at ease At 29 the Congress candidate from GS 195 appears calm confident and rooted comfortable in a neighbourhood that has shaped him ldquoIrsquove grown up entirely in this areardquo Pawar says ldquoMy schooling was at the nearby Maratha High School This place has raised merdquoBefore formally stepping into politics Pawarrsquos professional life took a different route After completing his graduation and a diploma in the stock market he worked as both a teacher and a research analyst ldquoThat phase taught me discipline and how to understand systemsrdquo he says His engagement with the community however began much earlier At 15 Pawar started volunteering with Parivartan NGO ldquoIt wasnrsquot organised work at first It was just helping wherever I couldrdquo he recalls ldquoFrom waste disposal drives to ensuring children stayed away from tobacco we did what the area neededrdquoHe attributes this instinct to his upbringing ldquoMy father was deeply involved in social work and politics hererdquo Pawar says ldquoService was always part of our familyrsquos everyday liferdquoThe upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections mark Pawarrsquos first formal political contest ldquoThis is the first time Irsquove been selected as a Congress candidaterdquo he says With civic polls delayed for three years the moment feels overdue ldquoAfter doing social work for nearly 15 years entering politics felt like the natural next steprdquo The issues in his ward are deeply livedin ldquoRedevelopment under SRA water shortages mdash these are constant concerns Today the local Marathi schools are also shutting down The government is at equal fault for that When they can market themselves why not market Marathi education as well I am trying to bring back the Marathi culture and education back to usrdquo Pawar says But he believes the larger problem lies elsewhere ldquoYoung people keep saying lsquoSomeone should take initiativersquo You hear it on social media on YouTuberdquo he notes ldquoThatrsquos good but why stop there If you can work on the ground socially you can step into politics toordquoFor Pawar politics only appears intimidating because of distance ldquoWe treat politics as something dangerous because we stay away from itrdquo he says ldquoIf educated wellintentioned people mdash the white collar I mean to say mdash donrsquot enter someone else always willrdquo He shrugs off the idea that his candidacy is extraordinary ldquoYoung people need to take responsibility Thatrsquos all this isrdquo His approach to leadership is grounded in action ldquoIn politics intention matters mostrdquo he says ldquoMy intention is simply to uplift societyrdquo Talk alone he believes is insufficient ldquoYou canrsquot build anything just by discussing it The people here wonrsquot just listen to you talk If you want a park you start by planting the first treerdquoPawarrsquos campaign style is deliberately straightforward ldquoItrsquos a mix of social media outreach and public speechesrdquo he says Ideologically he draws inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar ldquoTheir ideas about justice leadership and responsibility still guide usrdquo he saysWalking through the ward daily keeps his focus sharp ldquoWhen you go door to door you see how many issues people live with mdash Marathi schools shutting down electricity problems basic accessrdquo he says What concerns him most is the disconnectldquoToday therersquos barely any relationship between politicians and the publicrdquoHis solution is constant accessibility ldquoIf I win I want a functioning office where someone is available roundtheclockrdquo he says ldquoPeople should know therersquos always a place to take their problemsrdquo As one of the youngest candidates in the race Pawar sees age as an advantage ldquoYoung voters relate to merdquo he says ldquoI share their concerns and their visionrdquo He adds with certainty ldquoI know this area I know its peoplerdquolsquoPolitics done with honesty can change livesrsquoTejasvee GhosalkarTejasvee Ghosalkar 37BJPWard number RN 002 DahisarIf elected focus will be on Developing better infrastructure and amenities like theatres parks and community centres for the elderlyTanisha BanerjeeAt 37 Tejasvee Ghosalkar carries the ease of someone who has grown into politics through circumstance loss and persistence rather than ambition alone ldquoBefore politics entered my life I was completely focused on my work in fashionrdquo she says ldquoThen I got married into a Shiv Sena politicianrsquos family mdash my husband Abhishekrsquos home mdash and everything changedrdquoHer first electoral step came unexpectedly ldquoIn 2017 when a ladies ward Ward 001 in IC Colony Borivli opened up Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray gave me a ticket as Abhishekrsquos wiferdquo she recalls ldquoAt that point I honestly didnrsquot know how politics functioned I was learning everything on the groundrdquoCampaigning however transformed her doubt into conviction ldquoOnce I began going door to door something shiftedrdquo she says ldquoYoung people started connecting with me supporting me and telling me they wanted a representative who would genuinely work for themrdquo That early trust translated into visible change ldquoWe developed 18 different gardens with spaces like a Pet Park and a Fish Park each designed for the communityrdquo she explains ldquoWe also started an elibrary the first of its kind in Maharashtra That phase taught me how meaningful local governance can berdquoEverything seemed to be going well when a personal tragedy suddenly knocked on her door Her husband Abhishek Ghosalkar was shot in his office during a Facebook Live by Maurice Noronha a political aspirant in February 2024 Abhishek was the corporator for ward number 001 before it was reserved for women ldquoAfter my husband passed away everything felt unsteadyrdquo Ghosalkar says ldquoBut my fatherinlaw insisted I return to politics within two or three months because he believed staying at home would break merdquo The return was far from easy ldquoEarlier Abhishek faced challenges headon during campaignsrdquo she says ldquoSuddenly I had to become that person I wasnrsquot prepared and I wasnrsquot used to it but I had no choice except to growrdquo She pauses before adding ldquoAnd in the process eight years quietly passedrdquoWhen the longdelayed BMC elections were finally announced urgency replaced reflection ldquoProgress has slowed down drasticallyrdquo she says ldquoThere was a sense that no real work was happening on the ground and I knew I wanted to push for faster developmentrdquo Her political shift followed that instinct ldquoUddhav Thackeray supported me but I needed stronger backing to actually move thingsrdquo she explains ldquoThat support came from Devendra Fadnavis and the speed and clarity with which he responded was something I had never experienced beforerdquoSwitching parties was emotionally fraught ldquoIt was a difficult decision and yes I did feel badrdquo she admits ldquoBut I didnrsquot do it lightly I did it because progress mattered more than comfortrdquo She credits the BJP leadership for delivering on promises ldquoDevendra Fadnavis asked me to contest from Ward 002 and everything he assured me of was fulfilled That gave me confidencerdquoNow contesting from Dahisar East she describes a ward shaped by contrast In a place with multiple issues such as weak infrastructure terrible road conditions and major disparity between the rich and poor Ghosalkar aims to make it a better place for the locals ldquoThere is a visible gap between the rich and the poor hererdquo she says ldquoThe development across Dahisar has remained uneven for yearsrdquo Acceptance too came quickly ldquoThis ward has a strong Marathi and Gujarati presence and initially people were unsure how they would connect with merdquo she says ldquoBut within days we became like a family mdash we eat together work together and the response during doortodoor campaigns has been incredibly encouragingrdquoHer agenda is direct and communityfocused ldquoMy vision is to build a dream park for this areardquo she says ldquoThere is no theatre here so we plan to build one along with a library upgraded gardens and a dedicated community centre for senior citizensrdquo Addressing inequality is equally central ldquoWe are visiting every chawl and slum to inform residents about government schemes especially housing opportunities made available under Prime Minister Modirdquo she addsShe believes her presence itself is political ldquoYoung people are finally taking interest in politicsrdquo she says ldquoWhen they see someone their age stepping forward they feel inspired to participaterdquo With a certain twinkle in her eye as she gets up to continue her campaigning she closes the interview saying ldquoPolitics is often called dirty but I believe it doesnrsquot have to be so if done well If itrsquos done with honesty and work it can truly change livesrdquoExpert talk Kumar Ketkar Youth donrsquot careKumar KetkarKumar Ketkar veteran journalist and politician has seen how the youth respond to elections all the way back since the rsquo60s when his generation was just beginning to vote ldquoWe would stick posters on walls with information about candidates for the assembly elections and be very interested about who our local corporator wasrdquo he recalls But he adds everything seems to have changed especially since the rsquo93 riots over Babri Masjid ldquoThe youthrsquos interest in politics has been waning ever since and I feel that this time itrsquos not just Gen Z even other generations are least interested But Gen Z in particular is cynical You donrsquot hear politics being discussed in the college canteen or katta conversations anymore Most of the time they are making fun of politicians Be it general or BMC elections the youth are really not interested in what happens anymore and thatrsquos just the harsh truthrdquo he adds