Can young women in student politics become the next gen of national leaders?

What does Gen Z want from politics? Is it broadly turning against the Narendra Modi government or is the political mood among young people more complicated? And can young women move beyond student politics to become the next generation of national leaders?

These questions produced a sharply divided discussion at the India Today Woman Summit 2026 during a session featuring four young women from different political backgrounds: Ratna Singh, legal affairs lead and spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP); Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, Delhi state secretary of the National Students Union of India (NSUI); Shalini Verma, Bhopal Central Working Committee member and former national secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP); and Anjali, Delhi University secretary of the All India Students’ Association (AISA).

The discussion began with the recent student-led protest and the role of the newly formed CJP in pushing the government to accept the demands. Singh, who described the movement as essentially leaderless, said the government agreeing to the demands after 37 days was an intensely emotional moment for all those involved. She rejected the suggestion that the CJP had taken over an issue that should have belonged to established student organisations.

Choudhary argued that the Congress and NSUI had been involved from the beginning. She pointed to Rahul Gandhi's Chhatron Ki Goonj campaign and said the Congress student wing had not missed the issue. For her, the more important question was what would happen to students facing FIRs and legal cases after the protests.

Singh said the CJP's focus was precisely on that aftermath. As the party's legal affairs lead, she said she had been in touch with senior lawyers and that efforts were underway to create a network of lawyers who could assist protesters across districts.

The discussion then moved to whether the protest represented a broader anti-Modi government mood among young people. Verma strongly challenged that proposition. She argued that the ABVP should not be reduced to being a student organisation that automatically supports the BJP government and that student politics cannot be viewed only through the lens of whether it is pro- or anti-Modi.

Anjali offered a very different assessment. She argued that the Left's politics remained relevant beyond university campuses, pointing to paper leaks, education, school closures, privatisation and student representation. She questioned why student union elections remained suspended in institutions such as Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Banaras Hindu University.

For Anjali, the argument that parliamentary politics alone determines political relevance was inadequate. She said movements on the streets remained necessary to hold governments accountable.

The disagreement became particularly sharp with the discussion of the political environment in which Gen Z has grown up. Anjali argued that young Indians had been promised a new, more egalitarian India but had instead witnessed what she described as the normalisation of communal politics, abusive political language and social divisions. She also raised concerns over rising education costs, paper leaks and changes in the higher education funding system.

Verma countered by arguing that these problems did not begin with the Modi government. She cited examples of paper leaks under previous governments and said the ABVP had itself demanded greater transparency from the National Testing Agency (NTA). Her broader argument was that criticism of the present government should not erase failures under earlier governments.

The question of women in politics brought another dimension to the discussion. Verma said the ABVP had given her significant opportunities to lead, including serving as a state and national office-bearer. She argued that young women were already being given leadership responsibilities through student politics and would increasingly occupy larger political roles.

Choudhary said that coming from a farmer's family and having contested the Delhi University students' union election, she could see herself reaching the top of the political ladder one day. When asked whether she could become prime minister, she answered in the affirmative. Her political inspirations included Indira Gandhi and, more immediately, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Verma named Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman, but also drew inspiration from historical figures such as Rani Lakshmibai, Ahilyabai Holkar, Rani Durgavati and Abbakka Devi. Anjali pointed to AISA national president Neha Bora, highlighting her participation in a long hunger strike and her efforts to mobilise young people across states.

Singh took a more grassroots view. Her inspiration, she said, came from the young women she had encountered during protests, including women from smaller towns and rural areas fighting for schools and other local issues.

During the discussion, it was agreed that young women are no longer content to remain spectators in politics. The speakers, however, differed on what that political participation should look like. For Choudhary, it lies within established party politics. For Verma, it is rooted in nationalist student activism. For Anjali, it remains tied to Left politics and street movements. For Singh, it is an emerging, issue-based politics that does not necessarily fit neatly into established ideological or party structures.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Ratna Singh

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• “We have been saying from day one that this is a leaderless movement. We want people to rise to the occasion and raise their own voice. We do not need political recognition.”
• “My inspiration are the Gen Z girls I see on the ground, whether they are protesting in Lucknow or fighting for schools in rural areas. I think inspiration should be direct”

Joslyn Nandita Choudhary

• “If I can contest one of the biggest student elections in the country, I can see myself at the top some day. It depends on my capability and whether people accept me.”
• “My main inspiration is Indira Gandhi. I am also very inspired by Priyanka Gandhi. I like the way she speaks, argues and questions.”

Shalini Verma

• “Student politics cannot be seen simply as pro-Modi or anti-Modi. The ABVP has protested even when BJP governments are in power.”
• “I believe ABVP gives maximum leadership opportunities to women students. I have been an ABVP state minister, ABVP national minister and ABVP departmental organisation minister.”

Anjali

• “History has shown us that when Parliament fails, people have had to keep the streets alive.”
• “We have seen a new normal where communal venom and abusive political language have been normalised.”

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