How Modi’s new M-Y (Mahila–Yuva) formula is redefining Indian politics
The “caste” and “dynastic” politics in Bharat is entering a new era shaped by a generational reordering led by those born after 2000. This Gen-Z cohort is digital, aspirational, culturally rooted, and allergic to both caste-driven politics and dynastic entitlement. They do not think or vote like their parents.
Narendra Modi, the astute political strategist, reformer, and visionary of his time, recognized this before anyone else. The BJP candidate Maithili Thakur, the newly elected MLA, proved it in Bihar. The next big test of this transformation will come in Uttar Pradesh, even though the elections are a couple of years away.
In short, Modi hasn’t just redefined the “M-Y” acronym; he has redefined the meaning of Bharat’s politics.
Bihar: Where Modi flipped the M-Y equation
For three decades, Bihar’s politics revolved around the old “M-Y” bloc—Muslim + Yadav, the foundation of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD. It was one of the most stable vote banks in Bharat’s political history.
But in 2025, Modi dismantled that formula. He redefined M-Y as Mahila + Yuva—women and youth. Not only was this clever framing, but it also accurately reflected where Bihar’s social energy had shifted. Modi recognized the need, poured financial resources, and spent political capital to build the transformed M-Y:
- Mahila – Directly benefiting from DBT transfers, self-help groups, pensions, and enhanced law and order.
- Yuva – No longer interested in caste patronage; they wanted growth, skills, dignity, and a modern state.
The results are obvious. The traditional Muslim-Yadav bloc fractured, while the new Mahila-Yuva coalition quietly delivered a historic reversal. The RJD still garnered the highest vote share, but lost seats in the number of seats.
Shall we say it is the death of the old M-Y and the birth of the new one?
Maithili Thakur: The first Gen-Z face of Modi’s new M-Y
The clearest symbol of this transition is Maithili Thakur, the 25-year-old singer-activist who became Bihar’s youngest MLA. Her election tells a much larger story:
- Gen-Z leadership enters politics: She is a digital-native, culturally resonant, and authentic. She built her following outside the caste and outside the political families.
- A woman candidate with cross-caste appeal: She embodies the aspirational politics of empowerment, safety, welfare, and dignity that female voters in Bihar now associate with NDA governance.
- No dynasty, no entitlement: Unlike the heirs of RJD, she earned her legitimacy directly from the people. Her victory signals that Bharat’s new political class may emerge from talent and public credibility, rather than family trees like those of the Yadavs or Gandhis.
- Modi’s target candidates born after 2000: Modi’s new M-Y is a message crafted for this generation, with Maithili as its first major electoral face.
Clearly, Bihar was the pilot project; Maithili is the prototype; and the strategy is very much portable.
Uttar Pradesh is the next big battlefield
While Uttar Pradesh elections are a couple of years away, the contrast could not be sharper. Anyone familiar with UP politics, which ultimately shapes the power structure in Delhi, knows that Akhilesh Yadav, the political heir to the SP throne, still depends on the old M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) equation. SP remains a dynasty-first, caste-anchored party.
Not anymore—not with Bihar providing the proof of concept for the new M-Y. Yadav consolidation is no longer guaranteed in a modern, mobile, and aspirational UP.
Not to forget what Yogi Adityanath’s governance has already delivered. Unprecedented safety for women through Mission Shakti and Kanya Sumangala has transformed female participation. Additionally, UP’s youth are more employable, connected, and ambitious than any previous generation. UP is no longer part of the so-called BIMARU classification, and Bihar is on its way out as well.
The political soil of UP is ready—and even more fertile than Bihar—for Modi’s new M-Y, powered by the strong Modi-Yogi nexus, often referred to as “do-engine ki sarkar.”
Should the BJP deploy the Maithili Thakur template in UP?
The answer is absolutely yes—to defeat caste + dynasty politics. BJP should:
- Field more Gen-Z, non-dynastic M-Y candidates, especially young women.
- Brand UP’s election narrative around Mahila–Yuva empowerment as explicitly as possible.
- Contrast SP’s old M-Y with BJP’s new M-Y, emphasizing aspiration over identity.
- Position Akhilesh as “yesterday’s leader” while introducing new faces as “tomorrow’s Bharat.”
In other words, the Modi-Yogi duo (coincidentally also M-Y) must create a clear ideological battlefield.
The larger political shift
Maithili Thakur’s victory in Bihar is more than just winning a seat. It signals a structural shift in Bharat’s vote-bank politics:
- Old M-Y = caste and dynasty → New M-Y = women and youth
- Old politics = inheritance → New politics = merit and aspiration
Bihar’s results offer the first proof that the time has come for Bharat to move:
- From caste blocs to cross-caste female voting
- From dynasties to digital-native youth leaders
- From backward-looking identity politics to forward-looking governance politics
Let us hope that UP delivers the biggest confirmation that while Bharat’s past was shaped by identity, its future will be shaped by Mahila and Yuva—the new M-Y.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
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