It’s not just Bharat Jodo Yatra. Long marches, though not as extensive, are criss-crossing states such as Tripura, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, adding to election heat amid the winter chill.
The year 2023 will see nine states go to the polls. They are Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Telangana. Elections may also be held in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
These 10 assembly polls will set the political tone for the 2024 parliamentary election. No wonder, political parties are leaving nothing to chance in trying to strengthen and expand their support base. And what better way to do it than political yatras. So, it’s not just Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra that started in September 2022.
Though not as extensive, long marches are criss-crossing states such as Tripura, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, adding to election heat amid the winter chill.
TRIPURA
Union home minister Amit Shah launched the BJP’s Jan Viswas Yatra on Thursday.
The yatra will last eight days, covering all 60 constituencies to showcase the BJP government’s development works from 2018. The BJP’s relationship with its key ally — tribal outfit Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) – is on the rocks. The BJP state unit has set up 30 panels to take care of poll duties.
The BJP also faced a setback when the party’s leader of the opposition in the Autonomous District Council, Hangsha Kumar Tripura, joined the Tipra Motha with 6,000 of his tribal supporters in August this year. Last year in April, Tipra Motha had won the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections just two months after it was formed. The tribal-based party is trying to build an anti-BJP political front. And the Congress, the Left and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) may support it.
KARNATAKA
The ruling BJP has been going ahead with its Jana Sankalpa Yatra in Karnataka, Now, the Congress also has planned a bus yatra this month to counter the saffron party’s outreach launched from Raichur last month, with a plan to cover 52 constituencies. The Congress will launch its yatra from Belagavi where Mahatma Gandhi had presided the only Congress session in 1924.
For BJP, Karnataka is a prestige state. It’s the only south India state where it rules. The Congress is desperate to wrest power from the saffron party. But both have to confront challenges. The BJP government is facing graft charges, while the Congress is battling infighting.
The BJP’s problem also lies in the rift between former CM BS Yediyurappa and CM Basavaraj Bommai. Yediyurappa has skipped Jana Sankalapa Yatra in many places. Attempts are being made to iron out the differences with an eye on the elections. Both Yediyurappa and Bommai have issued statements to trash split talks.
There’s also a divide within the BJP over the issue of Cabinet expansion too. On December 14, Bommai met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the matter. Shah didn’t give his nod to the expansion. While some BJP leaders feel that Cabinet expansion would add vigour to the party before the elections, another camp says that it will be an exercise in futility.
There is an apparent division in the Karnataka Congress, too, over ticket distribution. In November, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar stated that it is not Siddaramaiah, leader of the Opposition of Karnataka Legislative Assembly, but the party high command who will decide the tickets. But, another Congress leader from the state MB Patil quipped, “Siddaramaiah will also be a part of the decision-making process.”
MADHYA PRADESH
The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh, another state that goes to the polls this year, has decided to organise ‘Vikas Yatra’ events across the state from February, in which elected representatives of the party will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects.
Rumours are rife that the BJP may opt for a new CM face, as it did in Gujarat and won. Changing CM Shivraj Chouhan could help the party ride over a possible anti-incumbency wave. One camp believes that BJP will make the change for electoral benefit, while another says a Cabinet reshuffle is in the offing, but Chouhan will continue to be the CM.
In May, the opposition Congress reportedly decided to roll out ‘Vachan Patra’ (election manifesto) not only for the state level, but also for each district based on the local issues and demands. This could be a game-changing move.
In July, the BJP won the local body polls. After the victory, the party claimed it has defeated Congress in the semi-final ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said preparations for the polls are in full swing, while Congress leader Kamal Nath is busy holding election-related meetings.
RAJASTHAN
In the Congress-ruled Rajasthan, the BJP has been going ahead with its Jan Aakrosh Yatra. With an eye on the Assembly polls due next year, BJP chief JP Nadda had launched the ‘Jan Aakrosh Yatra’ on December 1 to corner the Ashok Gehlot government on issues related to farmers and governance.
CM Ashok Gehlot is facing a tough fight from his fellow Congress leader Sachin Pilot. Their tussle for CM’s post has been out in the open. Three months back, Gehlot’s camp did not attend the legislature party meet and earned the wrath of the high command. Gehlot was forced to drop out of the Congress presidential race. But he continues to stay defiant.
The campaigning for 2023 has already started. In October, former CM Vasundhara Raje asked the BJP to get ready for the elections. On December 18, Gehlot claimed that there is no anti-incumbency in the state and there cannot be a bigger achievement than this.
Like Congress, the BJP is also grappling with factionalism within the party. While BJP is banking on the Gehlot-Pilot fissure, it is also facing infighting within its cadre of late.
BIHAR
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is undertaking his Samadhan Yatra.
Through his Samadhan Yatra, which started on January 5 and will cover 18 districts in its 16-day first phase, Nitish wants to understand the public pulse and change narratives. He also wants to counter criticism sparked by his ally swap.
The Congress has started a Hath Se Hath Jodo Yatra in Bihar. Hand is the election symbol of the party. Party president, Mallikarjun Kharge, has also participated and walked for 7 km. The campaign will cover 1,200 km across 20 districts. The first phase will run from January 5-10.
Election strategist-turned-political aspirant Prashant Kishor has been on Jan Suraj Yatra, seen as a precursor to his full-blown entry into politics, in Bihar since October 2, mounting scathing attacks on Nitish and his Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD. The yatra aims to cover 3,000 km across all districts in the state. This will take some 18 months.
Meanwhile, Nitish is planning an India tour after his statewide Samadhan Yatra.
