The 2025 Assembly Elections verdict in battleground Bihar has decisively demonstrated the failure of Congress’s Gen Z outreach. Winning over 4 seats, the strike rate of the fringe CPI(ML) Liberation, an electoral force only in the Seemanchal and nearby belts, has been better than the Congress. Bihar is the youngest state of India, with more than 58% population below the age of 25. Voters have always cast their ballot with their feet in Indian assembly elections, and the arithmetic of caste, turbocharged welfarism, and perception of anti-incumbency doesn’t always hold ground.
Digitisation has broken many barriers by bringing heated debates online and creating a level playing public square. Gen Z of Bihar is aspirational and eager to transcend from the old mold of caste politics as well as lofty promises of welfarism on steroids. The outburst of energy needs law & order and conducive state institutions that foster long-term growth and invests in infra and capacity building.
The Gen Z Mind
Rahul Gandhi’s call to the GenZ to be watchful under the guise of assailing the sanctity of the world’s largest democracy through the dubious ‘Vote Chori’ presser, and calling into question the impartial integrity and professionalism of the Election Commission of India, which conducts through sheer grit what’s unparalleled anywhere, has decisively failed.
The mandate in Bihar clearly states GenZ has not fallen for empty promises and flimsy rhetoric. The poll choices of GenZ vindicates that India’s GenZ wants to be stakeholders in the country’s soaring growth story, and not amplify gazillion grievances and rages with a bullhorn.
The common sense of the voters and their ability to decode what’s unsaid remains an instinct that far surpasses fabrications, distortions, and manufactured outrage. Gen Z everywhere needs access to better services, equal rights, opportunity for growth, and institutional transparency. Continuity is critical for moving to the next stage of development, stymieing the hazards of disruption and the rising clout of interest groups
The ‘catch them young’ ploy to Incubate ‘Angry Young Men’ who are cynical about democratic process and would plead for handouts from the government, would just not work. Good governance coupled with financial inclusion and grassroots empowerment would ensure that.
Gen Z is not just ‘Digital Natives’ unconcerned with real world, and able to be turned pliable. Ironically, the Gen Z in Bihar is ‘vigilant’ – as Rahul Gandhi asked them too. But vigilant for good governance, development, growth, and not for conjuring fabrications from thin air and resorting to failed dogmas.
Development Pathways
NK Singh, Chairman of the Finance Commission points out in an Indian Express article that Bihar is trapped in a low-level equilibrium, a term coined by Richard R. Nelson, which means low-income, low-productivity, and low-growth. In order to transcend it, the state needs a fresh thinking and not a reversion to a maximalist version of ‘Maai-Baap Sarkar’. The Congress’s retrogression hasn’t worked with the electorate, and
Bihar’s transformation in rural development, women empowerment, institution building, and grievance redressal under the NDA era has been noteworthy. The next chapter in Bihar would be scripted on the back of people’s hope, untapped potential, and investment.
The government’s infra push in Bihar along with the intent to complement the state’s agriculture with industrial corridors, is leading to incremental transformation that will break the cycle of underdevelopment. The American agro-economist Theodore Schultz postulated that economic growth cannot occur without Human Capital formation and investment in education, research, healthcare, and skill development. Bihar’s demographic dividend won’t morph into demographic disaster. The state’s outlay, special packages, and people’s choices will ensure that.
