India, July 30 -- While young Indians are deeply frustrated over unemployment, paper leaks and economic uncertainty, frustration does not automatically translate into electoral rejection. To confuse Instagram trends with voting behaviour is to mistake the loudest voices for the largest constituency - and to misunderstand both Gen Z and Indian politics

Every protest season produces a new narrative. Today, the narrative is that Gen Z has turned against the BJP.

If you spend an evening on Instagram, scroll through X or flip through reels, the conclusion appears obvious. Young Indians are angry. They are protesting. They are mocking the government. Hence, they must also be abandoning the BJP.

We live in an era when social media has become ...