Dear Readers,Nearly 200 years ago, Abraham Lincoln said the philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation becomes the philosophy of government in the next. More recently, the London-born American author Simon Sinek said that leadership is not so much about the next election as about the next generation.Rahul Gandhi’s recent overtures to young people, first-time voters, and Gen Z made me wonder if there is some similar strategy behind it. Is the Nehru-Gandhi family scion trying to make the Congress count among the new generation?Rahul Gandhi (55) is no longer the same young leader of 2010, the general secretary of the AICC in charge of the Youth Congress and NSUI, who helped many young leaders get a ticket in the Assembly election. Nor is he the leader of 2014 who empowered young AICC secretaries to raise a banner of revolt against the status quoist seniors.He is also no longer at the receiving end of the “Pappu” campaign raised against him by his detractors. Many believe he is taken much more seriously now, especially after his three successful yatras—Bharat Jodo, Bharat Nyay Yatra, and the recent Vote Adhikar Yatra in Bihar.After a serious campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, where his party projected “vote chori” (theft of vote) as a serious issue, Gandhi, one day before the second phase of polling in Bihar on November 11, scheduled a fun conversation with Gen Z, exploring their popular slang and phrases like pookie, cap, rizz, etc.Gandhi told the young girls not to call him “sir” and said they could call him anything else—maybe bro or dude. The youngsters declared at one point that this was the official launch of the Under-18 Rahul Gandhi. And Gandhi said, “I think all you guys need to join politics and change things. “Generations above you have been slow, and we need you guys to get into the act,” he said.Gandhi later posted a video clip of the conversation, saying, “The energy of India’s Gen Z gives me hope. This generation believes in satya and ahimsa, carries compassion and courage, and will lead India towards a brighter, more just future. I’m excited to see them step into the political sphere.”As I write this, Bihar’s results are coming in. The badlaav (change) narrative that was repeated by almost all the Gen Z youngsters I met during my Bihar election tour has not come true. The old guard has retained power for a record third consecutive time.Clearly, neither Rahul’s youth initiative nor Tejashwi’s has mattered. This loss in Bihar could have a huge bearing on the Congress and the Opposition’s future.What do Gandhi’s efforts mean? As he battles the challenge of trying to revive the Congress after three back-to-back Lok Sabha election defeats since 2014, is he trying to connect with younger voters who have seen the BJP in power since 2014 and who do not share the anti-Congress sentiments of the 2014 voters, who have no memory of the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare against the UPA dispensation in 2011, and who do not share that generation’s sentiments against UPA II, which was mauled by a number of corruption scandals, many of which later proved to be hollow noise?Or is he, as his detractors say, just being non-serious?In 2014, when Narendra Modi came to power, youths, particularly first-time voters, voted for him in a big way. As the next Lok Sabha election falls due in 2029, many first-time voters and young people might be looking for change. Is Gandhi tapping that vote segment?Gandhi has made the youth pitch many times. An Instagram post of a Congress rally of a few days ago shows Gandhi pausing in the middle of his speech when he sees two children fighting near the stage. He jokes: “BJP is making them fight,” evoking laughter from the crowd.At a press conference last week, he said, “We will show India’s Gen Z, the youth, that Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister by stealing elections, and the BJP steals elections. We will clearly tell this, there will be no doubt.”Clearly, Rahul Gandhi sees an opening here, especially because large numbers of middle-aged Hindu voters prefer the BJP, and this is a constituency that has remained, by and large, firm since 2014. It is new voters who would perhaps be open to new ideas and options. In 2014, the Congress had lost a substantial chunk of young voters and Rahul is perhaps trying to turn the tide.In fact, days after the Gen Z-led protests in Nepal toppled the KP Sharma Oli government in September, Rahul’s social media post said that India’s youth, the students of the country, the Gen Z would save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft, in a post that drew sharp reactions from the ruling BJP, which said the Opposition leader was trying to instigate youth to rebel.Gandhi tries to make his interactions with young people informal, often sharing a meal. But the issues discussed range from unemployment to migration, from social equity to future anxieties. From interacting with gig workers ahead of the election in Karnataka in May 2023 to meeting children on the first day of the Rajasthan leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra in December 2022, when he sipped tea with them in a dhaba, Rahul is trying hard to cultivate a new image. In November, the Congress shared video clips of schoolboys visiting Parliament and cheering Rahul, with one young girl whispering “You are my favourite politician.”In Bihar, the strategy has not worked. The Congress has not performed well. Whether Rahul’s efforts will shore up the party’s fortunes in other places is not clear yet. But one thing is certain: Rahul Gandhi is working hard.If you are a young person reading this, write in and tell us if you are impressed with him. Or if you see it differently.Until the next newsletter.Anand Mishra | Political Editor, FrontlineWe hope you’ve been enjoying our newsletters featuring a selection of articles that we believe will be of interest to a cross-section of our readers. Tell us if you like what you read. And also, what you don’t like! Mail us at frontline@thehindu.co.inCONTRIBUTE YOUR COMMENTS