Lokesh Wants Gen Z's Active Role In Politics, Governance

IT and education minister Nara Lokesh has called for greater involvement of Gen Z in politics and governance, saying young people should be treated as partners in decision-making rather than merely as an audience.

Speaking as guest of honour at the Fortune India 40 Under 40 Awards programme in Mumbai, Lokesh said political leaders needed to move beyond conventional ways of engaging with a generation that expected greater participation, openness and authenticity.

“Don’t talk down to them. Make them part of the entire growth story and journey together,” he said.

Lokesh said he and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had been engaging with young people and local influencers during visits to constituencies and seeking their views on development and governance.

“When we go to a particular constituency, we meet all the influencers there, and we ask them, ‘How do you think we can do better? In this particular constituency, what do you think we can do differently?’” he said.

Such consultations often generated “amazing ideas”, he said, adding that a mechanism was in place to follow up on the suggestions. This was important to ensure that young people felt their participation had a tangible impact, he said.

“Make them part of the conversation,” Lokesh said, identifying this as a key to engaging Gen Z.

He also urged politicians to shed their inhibitions while communicating with young people, saying Gen Z was willing to engage with political leaders but expected them to be genuine and transparent.

“I think it’s important that as politicians, we shed all our inhibitions,” he said, stressing that authenticity would be crucial for the next generation of political leaders.

Young people were looking for genuine engagement rather than traditional political posturing, Lokesh said. “I believe that’s what they’re looking forward to from the next generation politicians of India,” he added.