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

Ankit Sunil Prabhu, 29, 
Shiv Sena (UBT)
Ward P/South No. 54, Goregaon East
If elected, focus will be on: Climate and pet issues

Akshita Maheshwari

Stepping down from the Aarey Metro station on the Red Line, this writer looks for a footpath to walk over to meet prospective candidate for P/South Ward number 54, Ankit Sunil Prabhu. Ten steps in, and the pavement breaks down. Suddenly, it’s just rocks with a green cover for a construction site. In places, it’s 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 10-minute walk. We think, “When will we become a walkable city?” It’s a question we ask Prabhu also. He says, “I’m a civil engineer. I can see these sites and I know they’re 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 money.”

Prabhu was interested in politics from a very young age. Son to Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu, it was pretty much in his blood. “In 2012, I was doing engineering from Government Polytechnic College. I was associated with the Yuva Sena [youth wing of Shiv Sena]. 

So, 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 college,” he says, “These things seem so miniscule now, but when you’re in college, they affect you every day. That’s how politics begins.”
But today, Prabhu is 29. He is part of the core committee of the Yuva Sena. When we meet him, he’s just come back from a poll drive. He has a big smile on his face. We ask him what campaigning has been like. “I meet so many young people on-ground. The number one thing they tell me is that they’re happy to see a person of their age representing them. They see that I am educated, they see that I understand their issues. That’s the way to connect with the youth,” he says, “The 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 — 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. That’s why youngsters connect with me.”

And what exactly are the issues he hears about from the youth? He answers, “Climate. 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 long-term 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 citizens.”

In his own ward, a big problem is the water supply. “Our 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 SOPs.”

Perhaps an issue most close to the young hearts are their beloved pets. “We recognise this and that’s 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 transparent-door shelters where all community dogs can be nurtured and vaccinated, and on-lookers on the streets can see them.”

“Being 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 generations,” he ends with this thought.

Pic/iStock

‘Gutters need to be closed, roads will be better’ 

Khushbu Gupta 

Khushbu Gupta, 21, Congress
Ward 
S number 120, Vikhroli West
If elected, focus will be on: Closing open drains and provide proper road development

Tanisha Banerjee

Walking through Surya Nagar in Vikhroli West feels like moving through a maze built on neglect. Open sewage runs alongside narrow lanes where even a two-wheeler struggles to pass. The air carries the smells of stagnant water and daily life unfolding at close quarters. 

Children 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 one.

Khushbu Gupta promises the development of parks in the area to avoid diseases caused by sedentary lifestyles. Pics/Tanisha Banerjee

“I felt I had an opportunity to do something meaningful during these elections,” Gupta says, her words tumbling out with urgency. “Even though my education is still ongoing, I wanted to stand for elections and serve people in a different way.” A final-year student of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, she sees politics as an extension of her calling. “As a doctor, I will help people anyway,” she says, “But through this route, I can help them much earlier by preventing the illnesses that are so common in this area.”

Her political awakening began in college. “In my second year, I started noticing how people here are living,” she says, “There is no regular water supply, no proper sewage system, and barely any basic facilities.” What troubled her most was how familiar these conditions were. “We are taught that prevention is better than cure,” she adds. “But here, the environment itself is making people sick.”

Infrastructure, she says, is inseparable from health. “The roads are extremely bad, and accidents happen all the time,” Gupta explains, “Even if I treat people after they are injured or fall ill, what is the point if the system keeps putting them at risk?” That realisation pushed her towards civic power. “As a corporator, I will actually have the authority to bring change at the root level,” she says. One of her poll promises “is ensuring proper water supply, road development, and most importantly, eliminating open gutters,” Gupta says. “These open gutters are the primary reason we see so many malaria and dengue cases here every year.” 

She questions why the city’s image has not translated into dignity for its residents. “Mumbai is called a metropolitan city, a mahanagar,” she says, “Then why are people still fighting for basic facilities in 2026?” For her, accountability begins with asking uncomfortable questions. “Why are we still demanding 
the same basic things after so many years?” she asks, “We should be questioning our corporators instead of accepting this as normal.”

Gupta wants the conversation to move forward. “We should be talking about newer issues now — the lack of hospitals and BMC dispensaries for the poor, the absence of ambulance facilities, and the complete lack of gardens,” she says. Health, she believes, goes beyond hospitals. “People today suffer from lifestyle diseases because there is no space to walk, no parks, no outdoor gym equipment,” she explains, “I have rallied across this area and realised just how serious the situation has become.”

Despite her age, she is clear about her approach to leadership. “I have an understanding of technology, and I want to bring an integrative approach to governance,” she says, “I know I am young, and experience comes with time, but intent has to come first.” She emphasises listening over authority. “I want to take input directly from the public,” she says, “That’s how I gauge what’s wrong with the area.”

If elected, she says, her priorities will be immediate and visible. “I will make sure the gutters are closed, hygiene is improved, and basic facilities are provided,” Gupta says. She pauses, then adds firmly, “These are not luxury demands. These are basic human rights.” She believes her youth is her strongest political tool. “People my age are tired of seeing the same politicians and no improvement,” she says, “That’s why they’ve lost interest in politics.” During her rallies, she notices something shift. “Children walk alongside me during campaigning,” she says, smiling, “I want them to feel comfortable with me, to relate to me, and to witness what change can actually look like someone from their own generation.”

As 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 “local muddas”.

‘Every time Gen Z complains I remind them to vote’

Sundhanshu Dunbale believes that being 24 is an asset and wants a chance to prove himself. Pic/Atul Kamble

Sudhanshu Dunbale, 24, 
MNS
Ward SC 152, Chembur 
If elected, focus will be on: Upliftment of Dalit population and fighting for more funds that will enable upgrade in civic infrastructure in his ward

Arpika Bhosale

Chembur 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 entry/exit point of the Eastern Freeway. 

But this advantage has not translated into similar attention to the suburb’s civic infrastructure, says Sudhanshu Dunbale, a Gen Z aspirant who has been 
wooing voters in his ward. “Chembur has extremely posh pockets, but there are areas that have 
always had bad infrastructure 
and no one seems to care about them after elections,” he says, “I want to start with the basics, like good education, health infrastructure for pockets like Siddharth Nagar where most of our Dalit brothers and sisters live,” he says. 

“You might think I don’t have an ‘inspired’ 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 funding,” he adds.

We meet Dunbale at his home during a short lunch break amid door-to-door campaigning at Subhash Nagar and Siddharth Nagar, both of which house among the largest Dalit/Bahujan pockets in the city. No matter how many high-rises are built across from their slums, residents in these two neighbourhoods still struggle for the basics  — roti, kapda aur makaan. “Without 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 people,” says Dunbale, a lawyer who also runs his own marketing agency. He entered politics because “I grew up seeing my father, Karnabala Dunbale [a former corporator], serve the people of Chembur tirelessly”. 

“I 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 in-built,” he adds.

Which is why he feels that his inexperience as a corporator is a moot point. “Until I get a chance, how will I get experience?” he asks, and quips, “Technically, I have had grassroots-level experience since birth.” 

And what of his peers, who have not had a good track record of turning up to vote? “I 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. It’s not like they are not interested in knowing more about what’s happening, but I feel that they have become too cynical about what politics can do for them,” he adds.

As we take off, we meet Julie and Rhino, the family pitbull and Shih Tzu respectively. Julie has been chained because pre-poll 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: “There is only one outcome; I will win because I have worked hard for my people and they know it,” he says. 

‘The youth are angry, but have no way to change things’ 

Baban Thoke (L) and Pragya Prabhulkar (R) want to clean the slums of  Govandi-Mankhurd. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Baban 
Thoke, 33 
Independent
Ward number m/east no. 141, govandi
If elected, focus will be on: Stopping the privatisation of governments

Pragya Prabhulkar,33 
Independent
Ward number M/East No. 140, Govandi
If elected, focus will be on: Clean water supply and toilets; to develop schools and dispensaries

Akshita Maheshwari 

Govandi-Mankhurd is about a 20-minute 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, over-crowding 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 Marx.
Prabhulkar 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. “All my life, I have seen the difference between a vertical settlement and a horizontal settlement,” she gestures with her hands, voice cracking, “We saw that the people of vertical settlements got better jobs, better education. My father worked very hard too, but he couldn’t make the kind of money they did.” 

Prabhulkar 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 — fellow partyman and social worker — were among RWPI workers who agitated and got the problem fixed. During the pandemic, they set up community kitchens to feed the hungry. 

Thoke is 33. He was born to a family of farmers in Hingoli, Marathwada. “I come from a working class family and started my life with child labour,” he says, “When 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. I’m from an Ambedkarite background. Eventually I got interested in Bhagat Singh, and then Marxism and Lenin. I studied policy and administration for my post-graduate degree.”

So 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 Govandi-Mankhurd house about six lakh people. They’re right next door to the Deonar dumping ground, the biggest one in Asia and home to a 12-storey 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 BMC-operated hospitals, the 580-bed Pt Madanmohan Malaviya Shatabdi Hospital and the 480-bed 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, brother-in-law to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Pawar’s 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 can’t afford private healthcare.

“This is the kind of problem that brings down politicians, takes away seats. It’s the main cause of our campaign. We have to stop this privatisation,” says Thoke.

The duo also aims to tackle the poor living conditions making residents sick in the first place. “When 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 hospitals,” says Prabhulkar. “We will use the budget to solve infrastructure problems ourselves. We will set up ‘Jann Committees’ 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 committees.” 

Despite their best efforts, Thoke isn’t completely happy with this campaign. We ask why he bears a dejected look. “The issues we talk about affect not just the working class, but also the lower middle, middle and, to some extent, even the upper-middle class. They should be out on the streets, but they’re not. The youth is angry, even I feel it. But there’s nothing to channelise this anger,” he says, “They don’t 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 Alpha].” 

‘Public service has been a part of my life’

After years of social service, Omkar Pawar decided to enter the political fray in Lower Parel for the first time. Pic/Ashish Raje

Omkar Pawar, 29, 
Congress-VBA
Ward number G/S 195, 
Lower Parel
If elected, focus will be on: Water shortage, upliftment of local schools

Tanisha Banerjee

In 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 G/S 195 appears calm, confident and rooted; comfortable in a neighbourhood that has shaped him. “I’ve grown up entirely in this area,” Pawar says. “My schooling was at the nearby Maratha High School. This place has raised me.”

Before formally stepping into politics, Pawar’s 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. “That phase taught me discipline and how to understand systems,” he says. His engagement with the community, however, began much earlier. At 15, Pawar started volunteering with Parivartan NGO. “It wasn’t organised work at first. It was just helping wherever I could,” he recalls. “From waste disposal drives to ensuring children stayed away from tobacco, we did what the area needed.”

He attributes this instinct to his upbringing. “My father was deeply involved in social work and politics here,” Pawar says. “Service was always part of our family’s everyday life.”

The upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections mark Pawar’s first formal political contest. “This is the first time I’ve been selected as a Congress candidate,” he says. With civic polls delayed for three years, the moment feels overdue. “After doing social work for nearly 15 years, entering politics felt like the natural next step.” The issues in his ward are deeply lived-in. “Redevelopment under SRA, water shortages — 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 us,” Pawar says. But he believes the larger problem lies elsewhere. “Young people keep saying, ‘Someone should take initiative.’ You hear it on social media, on YouTube,” he notes. “That’s good but why stop there? If you can work on the ground socially, you can step into politics too.”

For Pawar, politics only appears intimidating because of distance. “We treat politics as something dangerous because we stay away from it,” he says. “If educated, well-intentioned people — the white collar I mean to say — don’t enter, someone else always will.” He shrugs off the idea that his candidacy is extraordinary. “Young people need to take responsibility. That’s all this is.” His approach to leadership is grounded in action. “In politics, intention matters most,” he says. “My intention is simply to uplift society.” Talk alone, he believes, is insufficient. “You can’t build anything just by discussing it. The people here won’t just listen to you talk. If you want a park, you start by planting the first tree.”

Pawar’s campaign style is deliberately straightforward. “It’s a mix of social media outreach and public speeches,” he says. Ideologically, he draws inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. “Their ideas about justice, leadership and responsibility still guide us,” he says.
Walking through the ward daily keeps his focus sharp. “When you go door to door, you see how many issues people live with — Marathi schools shutting down, electricity problems, basic access,” he says. What concerns him most is the disconnect. 

“Today, there’s barely any relationship between politicians and the public.”

His solution is constant accessibility. “If I win, I want a functioning office where someone is available round-the-clock,” he says. “People should know there’s always a place to take their problems.” As one of the youngest candidates in the race, Pawar sees age as an advantage. “Young voters relate to me,” he says. “I share their concerns and their vision.” He adds with certainty, “I know this area, I know its people.” 

‘Politics done with honesty can change lives’ 

Tejasvee Ghosalkar

Tejasvee Ghosalkar,  37, 
BJP
Ward number R/N 002, Dahisar
If elected, focus will be on: Developing better infrastructure and amenities like theatres, parks and community centres for the elderly

Tanisha Banerjee

At 37, Tejasvee Ghosalkar carries the ease of someone who has grown into politics through circumstance, loss, and persistence rather than ambition alone. “Before politics entered my life, I was completely focused on my work [in fashion],” she says. “Then I got married into a Shiv Sena politician’s family — my husband Abhishek’s home — and everything changed.”

Her first electoral step came unexpectedly. “In 2017, when a ladies ward, Ward 001 in IC Colony, Borivli, opened up, Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray gave me a ticket as Abhishek’s wife,” she recalls. “At that point, I honestly didn’t know how politics functioned. I was learning everything on the ground.”

Campaigning, however, transformed her doubt into conviction. “Once I began going door to door, something shifted,” she says. “Young people started connecting with me, supporting me, and telling me they wanted a representative who would genuinely work for them.” That early trust translated into visible change. “We developed 18 different gardens with spaces like a Pet Park and a Fish Park, each designed for the community,” she explains. “We also started an e-library, the first of its kind in Maharashtra. That phase taught me how meaningful local governance can be.”

Everything 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. “After my husband passed away, everything felt unsteady,” Ghosalkar says. “But my father-in-law insisted I return to politics within two or three months because he believed staying at home would break me.” The return was far from easy. “Earlier, Abhishek faced challenges head-on during campaigns,” she says. “Suddenly, I had to become that person. I wasn’t prepared, and I wasn’t used to it but I had no choice except to grow.” She pauses before adding, “And in the process, eight years quietly passed.”

When the long-delayed BMC elections were finally announced, urgency replaced reflection. “Progress has slowed down drastically,” she says. “There was a sense that no real work was happening on the ground, and I knew I wanted to push for faster development.” Her political shift followed that instinct. “Uddhav Thackeray supported me, but I needed stronger backing to actually move things,” she explains. “That support came from Devendra Fadnavis, and the speed and clarity with which he responded was something I had never experienced before.”

Switching parties was emotionally fraught. “It was a difficult decision, and yes, I did feel bad,” she admits. “But I didn’t do it lightly. I did it because progress mattered more than comfort.” She credits the BJP leadership for delivering on promises. “Devendra Fadnavis asked me to contest from Ward 002, and everything he assured me of was fulfilled. That gave me confidence.”

Now 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. “There is a visible gap between the rich and the poor here,” she says. “The development across Dahisar has remained uneven for years.” Acceptance, too, came quickly. “This ward has a strong Marathi and Gujarati presence, and initially people were unsure how they would connect with me,” she says. “But within days, we became like a family — we eat together, work together, and the response during door-to-door campaigns has been incredibly encouraging.”

Her agenda is direct and community-focused. “My vision is to build a dream park for this area,” she says. “There is no theatre here, so we plan to build one, along with a library, upgraded gardens, and a dedicated community centre for senior citizens.” Addressing inequality is equally central. “We are visiting every chawl and slum to inform residents about government schemes, especially housing opportunities made available under Prime Minister Modi,” she adds.

She believes her presence itself is political. “Young people are finally taking interest in politics,” she says. “When they see someone their age stepping forward, they feel inspired to participate.” With a certain twinkle in her eye as she gets up to continue her campaigning, she closes the interview saying, “Politics is often called dirty, but I believe it doesn’t have to be so if done well. If it’s done with honesty and work, it can truly change lives.”

Expert talk: Kumar Ketkar; Youth don’t care

Kumar Ketkar

Kumar Ketkar, veteran journalist and politician, has seen how the youth respond to elections all the way back since the ’60s, when his generation was just beginning to vote. “We would stick posters on walls with information about candidates for the assembly elections and be very interested about who our local corporator was,” he recalls. But, he adds, everything seems to have changed, especially since the ’93 riots [over Babri Masjid]. “The youth’s interest in politics has been waning ever since, and I feel that this time it’s not just Gen Z, even other generations are least interested. But Gen Z, in particular, is cynical. You don’t 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 that’s just the harsh truth,” he adds.