Rahul Gandhi along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi is taking Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Haryana to boost the party’s prospects in the ensuing Haryana Assembly election. Rahul Gandhi also undertook Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY) in the past in order to boost the party’s prospects in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections too. But Rahul Gandhi’s Yatras become only road shows and nothing on ground in terms of vote share. For Assembly elections Rahul Gandhi’s Yatras have no significance. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was a big flop Yatra as far as political outcome is concerned. Rahul Gandhi undertook another Yatra Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY) in the second phase. These two Yatras complement each other. This Yatra was only designed to foist Rahul Gandhi as the leader of the Congress party. Before taking the Yatras the Congress party was plagued with dissension and a G-23 committee was formed under the party to find ways to rejuvenate the party. In other words the motto of the G-23 committee was to get rid of the Gandhi dynasty and especially of Rahul Gandhi. In order to negate G-23 factor and to checkmate his opponents within party Rahul Gandhi undertook Yatras. His Yatras had minimum to challenge the BJP but to challenge his own opponents within the party.
Even after Rahul Gandhi’s much hyped Yatras the Congress party performance in 2024 Lok Sabha election is similar to that of the previous fiasco in last two Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019 as being demonstrated by comparing of results
The graph clearly demonstrates that the Congress party winner and runner up seats revolve between 260 to 270 seats. This is the benchmark of the Congress party. Now the allies of the Congress party don’t want to share seats with the Congress party as the party has met its limitations.
While on the other hand Rahul Gandhi’s Yatras were a big boost for the BJP. During Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo NyayYatra in Odisha Rahul Gandhi spent 4 days and travelled 341 km but the Congress party lost badly both in Lok Sabha and in Assembly election in 2024. In the Lok Sabha election the vote share of the Congress party dropped by 0.88 percent in Odisha. The Congress party got only one seat of Koraput in 2024 which the party had even won in the 2019 LS election. In the Odisha Assembly election which was held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha the Congress party seat increased by 5 seats but its vote share declined by 2.80 per cent. In Odisha, Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed through two districts of Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts. These two districts have 9 seats and the Congress party won only one seat in the 2024 Assembly poll similar to that of its 2019 Assembly poll performance. These two districts fall under Bargarh and Sundargarh Lok Sabha seats and on both seats the Congress party vote percentage had reduced. In the 2024 Assembly election the Congress party won 14 seats and was runner on 12 seats while in the 2019 Assembly election the Congress party won 9 seats and was runner on 31 seats. The Congress party was in direct contest in Odisha in 2019 Assembly poll was on 40 seats which reduced to only 26 seats in 2024. In Odisha in the 2024 Assembly election the Congress party vote share was reduced by nearly 3 per cent. In Odisha Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had travelled for four days. In Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections were held after the much-hyped Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra but the seat of the Congress party in Assembly reduced by 75 percent. The seat tally of the Congress party came down to one from 4 seats in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly. Besides seats, the Congress party vote share was also reduced by 11.29 per cent with respect to the 2019 Assembly election. Rahul Gandhi BJNY passed through Papum Pare district and on two of the three Assembly seats in the district the BJP won unopposed. Sagalee seat of the district was in Congress party fold in 2019 but in 2024 the BJP won the seat unopposed. On Doimukh seat the Congress party contested and the vote share of the Congress party had reduced significantly. The Congress party in Arunchal Pradesh in 2019 won 4 seats and was runner on 21 seats while in 2024 the party won 1 seat and was runner on 3 seats. So after Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra the Congress party’s stake on seats in AP reduced from 25 seats in 2019 to 4 seats in 2024. Andhra Pradesh is one of such States like West Bengal, NCT of Delhi, Nagaland, and Sikkim where the Congress party has no representation in the State Assembly. In Andhra Pradesh for two consecutive Assembly elections the Congress party was not able to open its account. It is ironic of the Congress party that in the last two Assembly Elections the Congress party was not in direct contest on any of the175 Assembly seats. In Andhra Pradesh Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) had traveled for 4 days’ time period but even then the Congress party was not in direct contest on any of the 175 Assembly seats. If we analyse the by-polls held just after the Yatra then it was disastrous for the party. Just after the passing of BJY from Telenganathe by-poll for Munugode Assembly seat was held due to the resignation of the Congress party MLA. But in the by-poll the Congress party forfeited its deposit. While in the 2018 Assembly poll in Telangana on Munugode seat the Congress party handsomely won the seat with 50 percent plus vote share. Munugode seat falls under Bhongir Lok Sabha seat and during 2019 LS poll on this seat the Congress party got nearly 50 per cent plus vote. But in spite of such applaudable performance the Congress party forfeit its deposit. Second by-poll was held in Punjab due to the demise of the second term MP from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat Mr. Santokh Singh. The Congress party had been winning the seat since 1999 without any break. But in the 2023 by-poll on the seat the Congress party lost even after putting late MP Santokh Singh’s widow KaramjitKaur as candidate. Santokh Singh died when he was travelling along with Rahul Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
