The mega Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has reached its Punjab leg where RaGa was joined by Sidhu Moose Wala’s father. The Yatra will conclude at Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on January 30th.

If you follow Politics or a student of Political Science, then you might agree with the fact that Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is gaining huge tractions across India. It might be a matter of debate whether the Yatra is getting appropriate amount of media coverages from Noida-based media houses or not, however, the fact remains that Rahul has been successful in shedding his image as an ‘Occasional Politician’ and projecting himself as a ‘Leader of the Poors and Masses’. 

Rahul is no longer the Congress President and is free from the burden of a sort of Political Accountability which is why he has been successful in creating a new image, if not for the grand old party, definitely for himself. The long nationwide foot padyatra has in true sense transformed Rahul’s image and has sent a positive signal to the Political Pundits who used to weigh him on a lighter note. 

Rahul, during this 3750 Km Yatra was seen walking the streets of several cities & towns covering a plethora of states with key like-minded people and key figures from Civil Societies. These people included Rashmi Desai, Swara Bhaskar, Kamal Hassan and several Army Veterans as well. The latest to this includes Balkaur Singh, the father of late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala who walked the streets of Jalandhar in Punjab with RaGa.

The Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) despite its reluctance to accept the fact that they are keenly watching Gandhi’s move, the trolling by BJP IT Cell and like-minded Right-Wing handles goes on to prove the fact they are taking this Bharat Jodo Yatra seriously. As per sources, the BJP is also working on strategies to prove that this Yatra was an utter failure and has no connection with the masses. Rahul is gaining momentum across India with the Yatra and could be a danger or an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the sense among the Journalists in the Corridors of Power in New Delhi.

However, despite Rahul Gandhi transforming his image as a Politician of Masses, the question remains that Will Congress be able to milk this Bharat Jodo Yatra and benefit in the upcoming Legislative Assembly Elections. Yes, India will be witnessing Elections in 10 States this year. These states include Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Telangana and likely Jammu and Kashmir. The question is valid in every sense as the Yatra was planned by the Grand Old Party to bring together like-minded people and to give a boost to its party cadres and workers and to a certain extent, they have been successful. Now, it is for time to tell whether this gets translated into votes or not.

The Congress, as of now, is on a sticky note in states like Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland as the Saffron Party currently have their Governments in these states, in some-on their own, in others- with their allies. However, the Congress has a good chance in Karnataka where there is a massive anti-incumbency against the Bommai-led BJP Government. Karnataka has always been a strong Congress bastion but the high command in New Delhi needs to stop the infighting between DK Shivakumar (KPCC Chief) and Siddaramiah (Former CM). In Rajasthan, the Congress can script a history by winning the elections if the infighting between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot stops and they jointly work to ensure the victory.The BJP is in a huddle as it does not want to project Vasundhara Raje as the CM but it will be very difficult for top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party to ignore Rajmata, as she is popularly called in Rajasthan.

Madhya Pradesh is another state where BJP is in a dilemma as to whether to project Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the CM candidate or not. Jyotriaditya Scindia who broke 20 MLAs from Congress leading to the fall of Kamal Nath government is also a contender for the Chief Ministerial post along with Narottam Mishra, the incumbent Home Minister of MP. As per the sources, both Digivijay Singh and Kamal Nath are working together for ensuring a Congress Victory in the upcoming elections. Chhattisgarh, the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh will also be witnessing the Elections this year. As of now, the CM- Bhupesh Baghel is on a good pitch as he is gaining huge support from the tribal belt due to a lot of state run initiatives for the Tribals. 

Jammu and Kashmir is also to go for the first Assembly Elections after it was declared a Union Territory in 2019 after the Abrogation of Article 370. The Bharat Jodo Yatra will also conclude in Srinagar on January 30th. As per media reports, the Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge has written to 21 Political parties and invited them to be a part of the concluding programme of the Yatra in Srinagar to mark a sense of unity. 

Now, it is to be seen whether Rahul Gandhi’s new image helps the Congress party in fetching electoral dividends or it was just about building RaGa’s image.

**The Opinion expressed in this article is of Author and The India Saga does not to take any responsbility for the Facts and Opinion expressed in the Article.

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