Will Congress' Bharat Jodo 'Nyay' Yatra yield results as expected?

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as the Congress battles with its back to the wall Rahul Gandhi has chosen to hit the streets for the second time with his lsquoBharat Jodo Nyay YatrarsquoThe Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra began in strifetorn Manipur on January 14 and will conclude in Mumbai on March 20 after covering 6713 km across 15 StatesThe yatra spans several states and 255 Lok Sabha constituencies and aims to promote social justice and Congress electoral engagement ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha electionsThe yatra which was also objectified at boosting Congress low confidence after repeated electoral losses got a big blow during its inception itself Senior leader and former Union Minister Milind Deora announced his exit from Congress on the morning of January 14 and joined hands with Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena Deorarsquos exit from Congress took away the limelight from Rahul Gandhirsquos Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra Congress received immense criticism for failing to retain its leadersThe yatra which is underway amid twists and turns attacks from Congress own allies wrong timing and flawed strategies has raised questions if the yatra will yield results as expectedHowever Congress is confident the Yatra will raise their vote shareMassive welcome by supporters but will it cash into votesCongress first Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022 where Rahul Gandhi walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir was a huge success Millions of people across the country joined Gandhi in his walk especially the youth However despite the massive support to the yatra Congress in the 2023 assembly elections lost major states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh The 2022 yatras success did rebrand Rahul Gandhi as a politician but yielded no electoral progress to the partyEven the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was welcomed by a sea of supporters in Assam Bihar West Bengal Jharkhand and Orissa Despite the lawandorder situation during the yatra in Assam and West Bengal peoples support for the Rahul Gandhiled yatra was unwavering But again the question arises as to how many of these will turn into votes and help Congress win more seats in the Lok Sabha elections Congress claims that there is more to the yatra than electoral win as the party aims to bring up issues like unemployment inflation caste census and social justice But to address these issues the party needs its leaders to represent in the parliament for which winning elections is mandatory After covering Chhattisgarh Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan and Gujarat the yatra will enter MaharashtraMaharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londe said ldquoThe yatra will enter the state from north Maharashtra on March 15 We are confident it will get massive supportrdquoLonde also expressed confidence that the yatra will help Congress to increase its vote share not only in the state but across the country in the Lok Sabha electionsldquoFirst Bharat Jodo Yatra was a success and we won elections in the states like Telangana We are confident that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will be a success toordquo he saidNationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar faction leader from Mumbai Rakhi Jadhav said ldquoWe are excited to welcome Rahul Gandhi in Maharashtra The yatra is to raise social issues It is a secular yatra and we hope all INDIA bloc leaders in Mumbai will joinrdquoStatus of INDIA blocAt a time when events like Ayodhya Ram Temple Uniform Civil Code implementation and puja at cellar at Gyanvapi mosque are shaping election campaigns in the country Rahul Gandhi has not only left leaders in Delhi to fight for themselves but he is talking about caste census and social justice Although these issues are pertinent and serious for the country voters are currently inclined more towards nationalismIn July 2023 the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance INDIA bloc was formed under the leadership of Congress The bloc consisted of 28 parties in the country with the objective of defeating the ruling National Democratic Alliance NDA government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP in the 2024 national elections The bloc held its first event together in December 2023 when nationwide protests were launched against the suspensions of opposition MPs The INDIA bloc did raise hope for a strong opposition against the nationalist BJPled NDA government but instead of strengthening the INDIA bloc is losing its grip day by day with Lok Sabha elections merely a couple of months awayAfter Bihars Nitish Kumars JDU exit from the INDIA bloc in the recent development in Maharashtra the Nationalist Congress Partys symbol was granted to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar faction who has joined hands with BJP Thus further weakening the bloc and consequently the bloc leader the Congress partyINDIA bloc leaders missing from Congress YatraCongress is criticised for embarking on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra alone and sidelining the INDIA bloc parties The yatra has turned into a Rahul Gandhis rally instead of Congress countrywide journey to connect with voters Former Congress senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad recently expressed his discontent and said that Congress going solo at the yatra and neglecting its allies wont take it anywhereSpeaking with the media last month Azad highlighted that Other political parties should have been taken on the board to travel across the country which would have sent a larger message The leader fell short in unifying the alliance leaders Azad said aiming at Rahul GandhiWhen the INDIA bloc was formed I told people to wait and see its fate And you can see it Azad said who was the general secretary of the Congress party for 45 long yearsINDIA bloc got a big blow after its convener Nitish Kumar chief minister of Bihar left the alliance and rejoined the BJPled NDA government Kumars decision came at the time when the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was about to enter Bihar state Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that invitations were given to JDUs Nitish Kumar Rashtriya Janata Dals Lalu Prasad Yadav and other INDIA bloc leaders in Bihar to join the yatra However none were seen amid a change in government and Nitish Kumar officially joined the BJPApart from this in West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee did not join the yatra Banerjee also announced before the yatra entered West Bengal that she would run solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections Although Banerjee is laying her terms now to continue being part of the INDIA bloc her public announcement shattered the alliance raising doubts that other prominent leaders too could take away their support from CongressIn Uttar Pradesh too Samajwadi Party chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear that his party will do what it thinks is best and no clearance from Congress is neededSpeaking with the media last week Yadav said How can I join the yatra if I havent got the invitationResponding to Yadav Congress media incharge Jairam Ramesh clarified that the Congress is still finalising the route and events in Uttar Pradesh It is to be seen if things improve between Yadav and Congress and if he joins the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra when it enters Uttar PradeshWhat experts saySenior journalist and Political analyst Omkar Chaudhary says that the mahagathbandhan INDIA bloc does not exist anymoreThe INDIA bloc was strong but it was known that when seatsharing talks would commence sooner or later the alliance would break Congress overtook the INDIA bloc parties and gave secondary treatment to its allies These allied parties are very strong regional political parties with their own ideologies Chaudhary saidWe all have seen the drama that unfolded in Bihar Mamata Banerjee is challenging Congress in West Bengal while in Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav has already shared a few seats with Rashtriya Lok Dal and other local allies In Punjab Aam Aadmi Party AAP won the state defeating Congress thus AAP and Congress internal conflicts are unavoidable In fact Rahul Gandhis own Lok Sabha seat in Wayanad in Kerala is in danger as the Indian Union Muslim League is demanding their Wayanad seat back from Congress It seems Congress will get back to its original UPA for Lok Sabha elections Chaudhary addedHowever some experts also opine that the Yatra will help Congress increase the voter percentage in the country if not coming to powerSenior political journalist Ashok Wankhede said Although Congress says the yatra is for social justice but no political parties travel nationwide for only raising issues The ultimate goal is coming to power Rahul Gandhis yatra got massive peoples support in the states like Bihar and Jharkhand but how many of them will cash in votes is the questionBJP is a cadrebased party with strong election management even on booth level unlike Congress Rahul Gandhi is creating peoples support itrsquos now with state units how they cash the opportunity Wankhede addedPolitical strategist Prashant Kishor has been criticising Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra saying It is the worst timing to go for a yatra When your battalion is at war you dont leave the headquarters L K Advani did not go on a nationwide yatra when elections were two months away I do not understand the logic behind this yatra Kishor said speaking with the mediaKishor added Winning elections and creating a public image are two different things