Rahul Gandhi's new campaign ground, colleges

In the recent assembly elections, political parties were seen wooing their 'new' vote bank like never before. L K Advani spoke to youngsters in a gym, and now we have Rahul Gandhi - considered a youth icon - reaching out in college campuses.

Within two weeks of his much publicised visited to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in Delhi, Rahul's already visited more campuses in Himachal, Kerala and Jharkhand. All this is part of his direct contact programme with the youth, where he is part politician and part motivational speaker talking about larger issues affecting the country - politics, austerity, Pakistan or Naxalism. And not all of it is in tune with his party's politics.

"He remembered our demands, he has promised to look into our complaints," says Manish Tiwari a student at the Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad.

Congress MP and former Youth Congress member Manick Tagore adds," For the first time in politics, someone is speaking the truth, so that's why young people are liking that."

Congress insiders say that during Rahul's visit to Tamil Nadu last month, the Youth Congress got 1.3 million new membership applications. The Kerala congress has also made similar claims, despite mockery from the ruling Left.

It's not a new strategy though. As recently as the general election earlier this year, the BJP was seen wooing JNU students.

"It has nothing to do with Rahul Gandhi, we have been doing it for such a long time," Vani Tripathi from BJP's youth wing. "We are doing things to increase cadre base but Rahul's attempts are just photo-ops," adds senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

But Rahul Gandhi's aides say the youth contact programme is for the long run.