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For the second time in two weeks, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi featured prominently in political discussions in Pune. The first was, predictably, during Gandhi’s August 22 Chhatron Ki Goonj event. The second instance, however, came at a BJP state executive meeting on Monday and is seemingly making heads roll.

At the meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the party’s top leadership devoted considerable time to countering the political imprint left by the Congress leader. The CM even urged BJP cadre to “understand the Congress’s new model of politics”.

The tone of the meeting suggested that the BJP is taking more seriously the political momentum generated by recent student protests and the Congress’s attempt, under Gandhi, to rebuild its organisation and connect with younger voters. For the BJP, this could have implications for its calculations for the 2029 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

In the past, the BJP had often dismissed Gandhi as a “rejected” political figure. At the Pune meeting, however, the emphasis was different. Fadnavis sought to discredit the Congress leader’s campaign, saying it was not “Chhatron Ki Goonj” but “Jhoot Ki Goonj”.

Cautioning the cadre about the battle ahead, Fadnavis said there had been a “paradigm shift from ideology to issues”. According to him, the Opposition had realised that the BJP could not be defeated on the ideological plank of Hindutva and had therefore adopted an “innovative model” centred on issues that, he argued, were aimed at weakening the image of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Fadnavis framed the emerging contest as one between “dimagi naxal” and “rashtrawaad (nationalism)”, arguing that the political battle was no longer simply between the Congress and BJP. He claimed that around 180 organisations, including Maoist groups, had rallied around the Congress, including those associated with Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The BJP also appeared to be responding to the growing political attention Gandhi has received among young voters and women. The party plans to make the issue of women’s reservation a central part of its counter to the Congress. Fadnavis accused Gandhi of being responsible for the delay in implementing women’s reservation, saying, “Rahul Gandhi mahila arakshan ke hatyara hai (Rahul is the murderer of women’s reservation).”

More revealing was the BJP’s acknowledgement of the scale of the youth constituency it needs to reach. With more than two crore voters in the 18–26 age group, the party has set itself the task of bringing a significant number of them into its fold. Its confidence rests partly on the belief that nationalism can continue to serve as a point of political mobilisation among young voters.

Yet the BJP’s own assessment acknowledges a challenge. The party was among the early and most effective political adopters of social media during the 2014 election campaign. But with Gen Z and Gen Alpha consuming political content differently, the BJP recognises that its digital strategy needs to evolve. At the Pune meeting, the shift from Facebook to Instagram was cited as one indication of the changing political communication landscape.

A senior BJP leader said the focus on Gandhi was a natural consequence of the Congress leader’s growing political activity in Maharashtra.

“Since Gandhi represents the pan-India Congress, which has become a rallying party for 180-plus outfits, including NGOs, we had to focus our attack on him. It was also necessary in the wake of his recent Pune event,” the leader said.

“The Congress has planned more interactions by Gandhi in Maharashtra, including in Nashik and Nagpur. So, by default, whether we like it or not, our attack on Gandhi was natural, making him a factor in the conclave,” he said.

State BJP president Ravindra Chavan, however, differed slightly.

“The conclave was to direct the party about the challenges ahead and what needs to be done to strengthen the organisation. Since the Congress, Gandhi and Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have directed an attack against the BJP, they had to be countered,” he added.

State BJP media in-charge Navnath Ban said Gandhi had become a factor because the Congress and “like-minded parties”, including the CJP, had systematically targeted the Maharashtra BJP.

“When they make Maharashtra their battleground, BJP leaders are not going to sit quietly. They have to respond,” Ban said.

He also questioned why the Opposition had not taken a similar battle to other states. “Why have they not taken their battle to other states like Punjab, Karnataka, Jharkhand or Kerala?” Ban asked.

The Congress, however, said the BJP’s focus on Gandhi showed that it was increasingly concerned about the Congress leader’s political traction.

“Look at the irony. All those BJP leaders who had dismissed Congress and its leader as insignificant are now on tenterhooks. Throughout the BJP conclave there was only Rahul Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi. It shows how shaken they are post Gandhi’s visit to Pune. But this is just the beginning,” Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said.

State Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal accused the BJP of failing to resolve people’s issues in the last 12 years. “They are nervous and have no answers and are resorting to making false charges against Gandhi as well as the Congress,” he said.

Referring to Fadnavis terming the CJP as a “Congress Jitao Programme” as a reflection of the BJP’s anxiety over Opposition unity, NCP (SP) national spokesperson Clyde Castro said, “Why is the BJP getting so desperate when like-minded parties are coming together to serve the people of India and seeking justice for our future generations like Gen Z? If BJP does not believe in like-minded parties joining hands, then they should quit the NDA and contest all future elections alone.”