Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday said the BJP government had received a "rude wake-up call" amid recent developments involving protests and electoral outcomes. He said the growing engagement of Gen Z and Gen Alpha with political issues reflected a changing landscape that parties could not ignore.
“I think the party in power certainly got a rude wake-up call… We've seen not only the cockroach protests and the resignation of a minister and a bill being passed in some haste because of all of this, but we are also seeing now two by-elections, one by people, in the case of Prashant Kishor, winning a very safe BJP seat that they've won for over three decades, nine times they've won that seat, they've now lost it, and Congress holding onto a seat in Madhya Pradesh, Datia, which is... these are both Hindi heartland states,” he told reporters.
Deep Dive
Why is it important for politicians to engage with young people?
How did Shashi Tharoor demonstrate his commitment to listening to youth at recent protests?
What approach did Rahul Gandhi take to connect with Gen Z during his AMA session?
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{{/usCountry}}Tharoor said the results of the recent Bankipur bypoll indicated that political trends were changing even in areas considered strongholds. Referring to Prashant Kishor's victory, he highlighted that the Bankipur seat in Bihar held by the BJP for several decades had changed hands. He also pointed to Congress retaining the Datia seat in Madhya Pradesh.
Tharoor said that the upcoming electoral cycle could provide opportunities for the Congress.
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"I believe there is a good chance; we fortunately have in our system these different elections at different times, already next March there'll be a few states coming into play where the Congress can be very much capable of winning those states…"
From a big zero for his Jan Suraaj Party in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls to a breakthrough win on his own electoral debut, Prashant Kishor has pulled off a swift political turnaround in less than a year. His Bankipur bypoll victory on August 3 ended the BJP's three-decade hold over one of its strongest bastions in Bihar.