3 min readNew Delhi, VadodaraAug 18, 2026 07:35 AM IST First published on: Aug 18, 2026 at 07:35 AM ISTBJP’s first-time MP from Vadodara, Hemang Joshi, who was appointed the national president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) on Monday, plans to take the party’s youth outreach beyond conventional political messaging, focusing on the concerns of Gen Z, social media narratives, and direct engagement ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.Speaking to The Indian Express after his appointment, Joshi said: “We have to keep the youth away from negative narratives and take them closer to the path of Viksit Bharat envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He said the need is to understand the “game of narratives in the era of social media” and “how we set up a narrative”.AdvertisementIn 2024, when he was 33, Joshi replaced two-time MP Ranjanben Bhatt from Vadodara, a constituency that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won in 2014.A former vice-chairman of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s school board, Joshi is a physiotherapist and also has a Master’s degree in human resource management. He is believed to be close to BJP’s national leaders as well as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Joshi said his priority would be to “break barriers that seem to exist between national leaders and ground karyakartas”. “I will try to know the mind of the youth. For this, we will need to interact with them by breaking protocols, if needed. I aim to mobilise youth energy … to change the scenario rather than just focussing on the negativity,” he added. He said connecting with the young people when they have concerns and relaying the “feedback from the ground to the leadership in a timely manner” is imperative.Read | Who is Deepak Mhaske, BJP leader who replaces Amit MalviyaJoshi, who is a known Rahul Gandhi baiter on social media as well as in Parliament, said: “If we recall Rahul Gandhi’s younger days … he wore kurta-pyjama … now when he is older, he dresses in T-shirts to woo the youngsters … Our outreach, however, will be genuine to address the concerns of the youth.”AdvertisementJoshi, who was appointed Gujarat president of the BJYM in December last year, said he would resign from the state post and “work as a karyakarta in the state” once the decision on his successor is taken.Joshi also has a distinguished image in terms of international exposure.He represented India at the inaugural BRICS Cultural Forum in 2024 in Russia as well as the 2nd BRICS Traditional Values Forum in Brazil in 2025.As a member of an all-party parliamentary delegation, he visited multiple countries for diplomatic outreach in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor in May 2025.