This year’s election to Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is expected to be more interesting than ever, as 4,36,407 Generation Z (Gen-Z) voters will cast their votes. These young voters, many of them voting for the first time, have the power to change the results in several prabhags. If they choose to vote independently instead of following traditional trends, Gen-Z could alter the direction of the election and emerge as a decisive force in the city’s civic polls. As per the data from the NMC, the most striking figure is the sheer expansion of the voter base. In the 2017 NMC elections, the city had 20,46,705 registered voters. Fast forward to the 2026 election cycle and that number has surged to 24,83,112. This represents a major gap of 4,36,407 new voters entering the fray, a nearly 21 per cent increase in the electorate within a decade. This surge is largely attributed to the rapid urbanisation of the Vidarbha region’s political and commercial hub. The ‘four-lakh addition’ is not just a statistical increase; it signifies a massive influx of Gen-Z which are first-time voters. While the city has historically struggled with a flat turnout trend of around 50-54 per cent, the addition of these hundreds of thousands of new electors, many in the 18-25 age bracket, presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the 992 candidates in the fray.

 

To engage this specific demographic, the NMC has launched innovative campaigns, including ‘40 Santa Clauses’ during the holidays and selfie points at popular youth hangouts like Futala Lake. Unlike veteran voters who often display ‘voter apathy,’ these new participants are being targeted through social media and digital outreach to break the 53.72 per cent polling ceiling recorded in 2017. The voters include 12,26,690 men, 12,56,166 women and 256 others, the focus remains on the ‘silent voters’ among the newly added four lakhs. To attract these Gen-Z voters and to reach them in masses, candidates are using digital as well as print media. A senior NMC official said that these new voters could act as the ultimate kingmakers on January 15.

 

They could be a massive advantage if they cast their vote this year. Another official said that NMC administration is working hard to boost voting in the elections but it has been recorded that most of the voters at the age of 18 don’t vote, which brings a massive change in the results. Even a single vote is far more valuable for a candidate to win. At this crucial stage where each one of them is trying to grab more number of votes on their side. With voting day approaching fast, parties and candidates have dived into campaigning and are trying to seize every opportunity to win the elections.