The 56-year-old Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has appeared at several youth-focused programmes wearing colours that would once have been unusual in his public appearances. A half-sleeved pink shirt worn during a “Chhatron Ki Goonj” interaction in Prayagraj this month became particularly noticeable, marking a sharp contrast with the whites, muted blues and functional clothing that have dominated his political image.
The change comes as Gandhi expands a nationwide campaign centred on students, examination irregularities, employment, artificial intelligence and the economic value of data. Congress is seeking to establish a stronger connection with Generation Z, and Gandhi’s less formal appearance has emerged alongside an increasingly conversational style of political engagement.
The shift is striking because clothing became part of Gandhi’s political identity during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began at Kanyakumari on September 7, 2022, and ended in Srinagar on January 30, 2023. He covered more than 4,000 kilometres during the 136-day journey and became closely associated with a plain white T-shirt, cargo-style trousers and sports shoes.
That appearance was maintained even as the march moved through the northern winter. Gandhi said at the time that he had decided to continue wearing a T-shirt after encountering three girls in torn clothes who were shivering during the Madhya Pradesh leg of the journey. He said he would wear additional layers only when the cold became difficult for him to bear.
The clothing consequently acquired political symbolism beyond its practical purpose. Supporters presented the simplicity as evidence of endurance and identification with ordinary people, while political opponents questioned the attention devoted to his clothes and, at one stage, attacked him over the price and brand of a T-shirt.
Gandhi briefly wore a rain jacket when bad weather hit Jammu in January 2023 and later used a traditional pheran in Kashmir, but the white T-shirt remained one of the strongest visual images produced by the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The look survived well beyond the march. Gandhi continued to appear frequently in white T-shirts or white shirts at political meetings and informal engagements, reinforcing a casual identity distinct from the kurta-pyjama, Nehru jacket and other conventional styles favoured by many senior politicians.
His wardrobe has nevertheless become less predictable as his political positioning has changed. Photographs from student meetings this year have shown him in pink, blue and other coloured casual clothing. The change has coincided with Congress programmes aimed specifically at young people rather than large traditional rallies dominated by established party structures.
The Prayagraj appearance offered one of the clearest examples. Gandhi addressed students while wearing a pink half-sleeved shirt and spoke about young people as a source of national economic strength. His argument linked youth aspirations with data ownership, artificial intelligence, wealth creation and access to opportunity.
Such events are part of “Chhatron Ki Goonj”, through which Gandhi has sought to raise concerns about examination paper leaks, recruitment delays and the pressures confronting students entering a difficult employment market. The campaign gives Congress another route to engage a demographic whose political preferences are increasingly shaped online as well as through conventional party activity.
The wardrobe change therefore sits within a broader transformation of Gandhi’s public presentation. His social-media presence has increasingly featured informal photographs, interactions with students and workers, physical activity and moments away from podium-centred politics. Fan-made videos and image compilations of Gandhi have also circulated widely among younger users, sometimes presenting the Congress leader less as an establishment politician and more as a pop-culture personality.
Congress has not formally described Gandhi’s clothing choices as an organised political strategy, and there is no evidence that particular colours carry an officially designated campaign meaning. Political branding, however, often develops through repetition rather than declaration, and clothing has long served as shorthand for accessibility, authority or ideological identification.
For Gandhi, the contrast is particularly pronounced. The white T-shirt of the Bharat Jodo Yatra represented simplicity, physical stamina and the discipline of a 4,000-km march. The brighter shirts appearing during his student outreach project a more relaxed and youthful image at a moment when Congress is trying to make education, jobs, technology and economic mobility central to its conversation with younger voters.
