Bharat Nyay Yatra / Will Rahul be able to change the fortunes of 'INDIA' in 67 days? 14 states in front - 355 seats

Bharat Nyay Yatra: While Congress is going to announce the Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi is going on the second phase of Bharat Joda Yatra from next month. Rahul Gandhi will travel from Northeast to Western India, starting from Manipur on January 14 and concluding in Mumbai on March 20. Rahul Gandhi will travel a total distance of 6200 kilometers in 67 days. During this time, he will be seen trying to win about 355 Lok Sabha seats in 14 states. Most of these states are considered to be strongholds of BJP, where the party has dominance. In such a situation, the question now arises that will Rahul Gandhi be able to give political life to Congress by traveling from Manipur to Mumbai?

Let us tell you that last year, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi had walked a distance of about 3900 kilometers from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. For the first time in decades, Congress had organized a padayatra on such a large scale. Bharat Jodo Yatra under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi started in Kanyakumari on 7th September last year and ended in Srinagar on 30th January. Rahul Gandhi covered a distance of 3970 kilometers in 130 days in 12 states and two union territories. Congress got political benefit from this trip in South India.

Congress got benefit from Bharat Jodo Yatra

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Joda visit has had an impact on the assembly elections of Karnataka and Telangana, which benefited Congress. It is said that through Bharat Jodo Yatra, the image of former Congress President Rahul Gandhi was created as a serious leader and he managed to come out of the image of 'Pappu' created by his opponents. It is believed that for similar benefits, Congress Party is again starting Bharat Jodo Yatra-2, which will cover from North-East to Western India. However, this time Rahul Gandhi is going on a journey amid the political heat of Lok Sabha elections, so its political meaning is also being explored.

Now Rahul will do 'Bharat Nyay Yatra'

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that after 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', now the Congress party is going to take out 'Bharat Nyaya Yatra' under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi will complete this long journey of about 6200 kilometers from Manipur in the North-East to Mumbai in the West in 67 days. This yatra will pass through 14 states, which will pass through 85 districts of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Jairam Ramesh said that during the Bharat Joda Yatra, Rahul Gandhi had raised three issues, which included economic inequality, social polarization and political dictatorship, but this time the issue of Bharat Nyay Yatra will be economic justice, social justice and political justice.

‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’ will start from 14 states

This 'Bharat Nyaya Yatra' of Congress will reach Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are a total of 355 Lok Sabha seats in these 14 states. If we look at the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, out of these 355 parliamentary seats, BJP was successful in winning 237 Lok Sabha seats on its own. Apart from this, BJP's allies got 45 seats. In this way, BJP led NDA won 282 seats, which was beyond the majority mark to form the government. At the same time, Congress got only 14 seats while 59 seats went to regional opposition parties.

Congress breaks into BJP's strong fort

However, two of BJP's allies in 2019 have now parted ways, one being JDU of Bihar and the other being Shiv Sena of Maharashtra. But, Shiv Sena has divided into two factions, in which one faction is with BJP and the other is standing with the opposition camp. In this way BJP seems to be standing in a very strong position. Rahul Gandhi is now setting out on a journey to break into this strong fort of BJP, in which he will strengthen his base by raising the slogan of social justice. Recently, BJP has captured power by defeating the three states falling on this route, which include Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Due to this, the morale of BJP is high and in order to win the electoral battle of 2024, the command has been handed over to new faces in place of the old satraps, and the bet has also been made to create social balance by appointing two Deputy CMs.

Rahul Gandhi wants to breach Modi's impregnable fortress by walking for 67 days on the path that will bring BJP to power in Delhi. For this, Rahul Gandhi will raise the slogans of economic justice, social justice and political justice. The reason behind this is that OBC politics is dominant in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar has increased the limit of reservation by conducting caste census, while the demand is being raised from UP to Maharashtra. Keeping in view the caste politics of North India, Congress has named Rahul Gandhi's journey from Manipur to Maharashtra as Bharat Nyaya Yatra.

Objective to stop BJP's victory chariot

By putting forward the face of PM Modi, BJP has gained a strong hold on the OBC vote bank. OBC voters have played an important role in BJP's victory in the last two Lok Sabha elections. Seeing the strength of OBC votes, the opposition is also now setting the agenda of social justice to corner BJP. Congress is a strong part of the opposition alliance INDIA to defeat BJP in 2024. By talking about adopting a flexible approach in seat sharing in the opposition alliance, Congress has given a clear indication that it is ready for every compromise to defeat BJP.

Regional parties are also in a strong position in the states that Rahul Gandhi will pass through during his Bharat Nyay Yatra. Regional parties are strong in Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland of the North-East. TMC is in power in Bengal, JMM in Jharkhand and Grand Alliance led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar. Apart from this, SP is against BJP in UP, while Sharad Pawar's NCP and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena are also a big force in Maharashtra. In Odisha, except Naveen Patnaik's BJD, the rest of Chhatrap's opposition alliance is with INDIA.

Congress is contesting the elections with the opposition alliance INDIA and hence there will be no less challenge before BJP, whereas there are many challenges in the INDIA alliance too. If Congress is completely busy with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, then how will INDIA be able to keep the alliance together, deal with the upcoming challenges, make strategies and above all handle the election campaign in Lok Sabha constituencies across the country? In such a situation, it remains to be seen whether Rahul Gandhi will be able to revive Congress by traveling from North-East to Maharashtra.