'Akhilesh Uncle, Not Bhaiyya': Inside BSP's Gen Z Gambit With Akash Anand Ahead Of 2027 UP Polls

News india 'Akhilesh Uncle, Not Bhaiyya': Inside BSP's Gen Z Gambit With Akash Anand Ahead Of 2027 UP PollsLast Updated:August 11, 2026, 10:47 ISTAkash Anand called Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi 'uncle' at his comeback rally, as BSP joins BJP, SP and Congress in a scramble for UP's Gen Z voters ahead of 2027.Rapid ReadSummarized by AI.+Got Question about the News?Uttar Pradesh has close to 13 crore voters, of whom an estimated 2.07 crore — around 15% of the electorate — belong to Gen Z.BSP national convenor Akash Anand marked his political comeback on August 10 by calling Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi “uncle," positioning himself, at 30, as a younger alternative ahead of Uttar Pradesh’s 2027 polls. The jibe signals how central Gen Z has become to strategy.Addressing his first major rally ahead of the polls, in Sadabad Assembly constituency in Hathras district, Anand told the crowd that young voters should carefully choose leaders who would “fight for their future."Recommended StoriesSamajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav Calls Out PM Modi Says, 'Don't Lie From Red Fort' | News18UP Women To Get Rs 50,000? Yogi-Led BJP Govt’s Proposed Pre-Poll Assistance Scheme Explained'Our Youth Are Talented': CM Yogi's Shoutout To Gen Z After Massive Students' Protest Over NEET Paper LeakUttar Pradesh Will Be Trillion-Dollar Economy In Next 3 Years: CM Yogi AdityanathWhen someone in the audience suggested he address Akhilesh as “bhaiyya" (brother), Anand shot back: “He is Akhilesh uncle, not Akhilesh bhaiyya" — pointing out that both Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi are over 50, while he is 30.It was a calculated line, aimed squarely at a voter bloc every major party in Uttar Pradesh is now chasing: Gen Z.Why Does The ‘Uncle’ Remark Matter?The jibe is significant less for its cheekiness than for what it reveals about the BSP’s repositioning. Anand also invoked the recent NEET paper-leak protests in Delhi to build generational kinship with young voters — “I belong to the same generation which staged a protest in Delhi recently," he said, noting that the education minister had resigned but was replaced by someone who had made controversial remarks about rape convicts.His broader message was that protest alone doesn’t change governments; voting does. Describing his address as “behenji ka sandesh" (Mayawati’s message), Anand argued that choosing the right leader was the real “appropriate action" that follows protest.Why Is Gen Z Suddenly Central To UP’s 2027 Race?Uttar Pradesh has close to 13 crore voters, of whom an estimated 2.07 crore — around 15% of the electorate — belong to Gen Z. That is a large enough bloc to swing outcomes: analysts estimate Gen Z voting patterns could influence results in 80 to 120 of the state’s 403 Assembly seats. The numbers back this up.In the 2022 Assembly election, 99 seats were decided by margins of under 10,000 votes — the BJP won 55 of them, the SP 35, with the rest split among smaller parties and Congress and BSP winning one each. Small shifts, in other words, routinely produce large consequences.Past elections illustrate just how disproportionate these swings can be. In 2012, the SP’s 29.15% vote share was only 3.24 percentage points ahead of the BSP’s 25.91% — yet that gap translated into the SP winning 224 seats to the BSP’s 80, a difference of 144 seats.In 2022, a 7.22-percentage-point gap between the BJP-led NDA (43.82%) and the SP-led alliance (36.60%) produced a 148-seat difference. If even 3-5% of Gen Z voters shift allegiance in 2027, the impact on seat tallies could be significant.There’s also a longer-term trend working against the ruling BJP. According to research cited by Lucknow-based educationist Pankaj Agrawal, around 85% of young voters backed the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election; that fell to roughly 70% in 2019, and further to 50-55% in 2024 — a decline of 30-35 percentage points across three elections.Agrawal argues Gen Z lacks an established political leader or party and is instead shaped heavily by Instagram and social media trends, pointing to youth-led protests over the NEET paper leak and new UGC rules — including demonstrations at Jantar Mantar that drew even young people from BJP- or RSS-supporting families — as evidence that this generation makes independent political choices.How Is BSP Trying To Revamp Itself For Gen Z?The BSP has traditionally relied on its core Dalit vote base, but Anand’s re-launch signals an attempt to widen that appeal to first-time and young voters.His comeback follows a turbulent two years: projected as Mayawati’s heir ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Anand was removed as national coordinator in May 2024 after being booked for allegedly promoting enmity through a campaign speech in Sitapur, with Mayawati also withdrawing her earlier declaration naming him her successor.She went further days later, publicly accusing him of acting under the influence of his father-in-law, then a senior BSP leader, and prioritising family interests over the party’s.Anand was briefly expelled in March last year before being reinstated after expressing regret — reinstated as chief national coordinator in May, then elevated to national convenor three months later.His last public appearance before this rally was alongside Mayawati at the Kanshi Ram Memorial in Lucknow on October 9 last year.What Are The Other Parties doing to reach Gen Z?• BJP/RSS: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to hold direct two-way interactions with students at universities.The RSS has split Uttar Pradesh into eastern and western zones, with functionaries visiting campuses to gauge youth concerns. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is set to hold his own interaction with Gen Z in Nagpur on August 15, on the theme “Youth’s contribution to India’s bright future," at an Independence Day event organised by a private company at Kasturchand Park.It will be Bhagwat’s second Gen Z interaction in ten days — he held an earlier one in Mumbai, where he spoke on the role of youth in nation-building.The BJP is also setting up district-level “Youth Advisory Committees" including student leaders and influencers, and training its leaders to engage voters through reels and social media.Separately, the state government has directed IAS, IPS and IFS officers to visit at least one school in their district every month for career-guidance sessions with students — an initiative officials say is meant to keep Gen Z engaged constructively.• SP: Akhilesh Yadav has met over 200 digital creators and influencers, with plans for a dedicated 2027 digital “war room" and content in local languages for rural outreach.The party is also promoting its youngest MPs, Pushpendra Saroj and Priya Saroj, through reels on youth issues like Agniveer and paper leaks.Akhilesh has separately coined the term “Regressive Secret Society" — widely read as a veiled reference to the RSS — accusing it of “hatching conspiracies" against a generation he describes as progressive and unwilling to be “cast in a mould."• Congress: Rahul Gandhi has held youth interactions under the “Goonj" programme, which the party says has drawn around 1.74 lakh online registrations, with more district-level sessions planned. The NSUI and Youth Congress have been tasked with expanding membership in colleges and universities.MetricFigureUP’s total electorate~13 croreGen Z voters in UP~2.07 crore (15% of electorate)Seats Gen Z could influence80–120 of 403 Assembly seatsSeats won by <10,000-vote margins (2022)99 (BJP 55, SP 35, others 9)2012: SP–BSP vote-share gap → seat gap3.24 points → 144 seats (SP 224, BSP 80)2022: NDA–SP alliance vote-share gap → seat gap7.22 points → 148 seats (NDA 273, SP alliance 125)Young-voter support for BJP: 2014~85%Young-voter support for BJP: 2019~70%Young-voter support for BJP: 202450–55%News18 NewsletterHandpicked stories, in your inboxA newsletter with the best of our journalismQuick AnswersPowered byAsk News18Gen Z voting patterns could significantly influence the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections, potentially affecting the outcome in 80 to 120 of the state's 403 Assembly seats. A shift of just 3-5% of these voters could alter the electoral arithmetic. This demographic is estimated to constitute about 15% of the state's electorate.Powered byAsk News18About the AuthorSumedha KirtiSumedha Kirti is a Chief Sub Editor with over eight years of experience — both at the desk and reporting. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Miranda House. Kirti has previously worked with news...Read MoreLocation : First Published:August 11, 2026, 10:47 ISTDisclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Loading comments...Read More