If Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra was an acid test for Karnataka, it has passed

NEW DELHI: The Congress registered an emphatic victory on Saturday in the intensely-fought Karnataka assembly election. Among various factors, the party credited the victory to their leader Rahul Gandhi and more so to his Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY).
Confident of the victory, barely had counting for Karnataka election started at 8 am on Saturday, the Congress tweeted a 49-second video clip at 8.38 am.The clip had snap shots of Rahul during his BJY. The tweet, with an emoji of fire, said, “I'm invincible. I'm so confident, Yeah, I'm unstoppable today.”
Senior Congress leaders said Rahul Gandhi-led BJY played a major role in the party's resounding success.
Rajya Sabha MP and Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh, in a tweet said, "While this is the direct impact of the #BharatJodoYatra in Karnataka, the intangible impact was uniting the party, reviving the cadre and shaping the narrative for the Karnataka elections. It was during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, from the many conversations Rahul Gandhi had with the people of Karnataka, that the (five) guarantees and the promises in our manifesto were discussed and finalised."
He further said in the 20 assembly constituencies through which Bharat Jodo Yatra passed in Karnataka in 22 days, the Congress won 15 seats, BJP 2 and JD(S) 3. In 2018, the Congress had won 5, BJP 9 and JD(S) 6 seats in these 20 constituencies.
Mahila Congress acting president Netta D'Souza tweeted, "The proof of massive success of Bharat Jodo Yatra has come. Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through 51 assembly constituencies of seven districts in Karnataka. Out of these, Congress won 36 seats. This is not just statistics. It is the victory of our leader's hard work and love over negative politics. He came, he walked, he conquered."
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah thanked party president Mallikarjun Kharge, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi and all the national leaders for their belief, support and efforts. "Bharat Jodo Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, united the people of Karnataka and spread the idea of peace and harmony - an important factor that put our party in the path of victory," he added.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, in a tweet in Hindi, said the result of the atmosphere, which was visible in Karnataka during Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra was clearly visible in the election results of Karnataka. "Under the leadership of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress leaders did a great campaign. Karnataka has chosen the politics of development by rejecting communal politics. This will be repeated in the upcoming Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana assembly elections as well," he said.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate while talking to media persons, also gave credit to Rahul and BJY for the party’s spectacular performance in Karnataka.
Of the 12 states and two Union Territories (UTs) that the 4,000-km BJY in 136 days from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, 2022 to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on January 30, it was only Karnataka where the first real test of the yatra took place.
The yatra passed through 75 districts of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Of the 12 states and two UTs covered by BJY, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana will go to polls in 2024.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala will face assembly elections in 2026. Polls would be held in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in early 2027. Himachal Pradesh will witness election almost five years later in November 2027.
Four states of Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Rajasthan will go to polls later this year.
Assembly election in Karnataka was held on May 10 while that in Telangana, MP and Rajasthan would be held in November-December.
Jammu and Kashmir may also go to polls along with Karnataka. But that is under the realm of conjecture.
Therefore, Karnataka was the first state from where the yatra had passed and which faced election.
Initially, all senior Congress leaders, including Rahul and general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh, claimed that BJY was not related to elections – either assembly or parliamentary.
However, they tweaked their stand after the Congress’s victory in the Himachal Pradesh assembly election. They attributed the party’s win, among other factors, also to BJY.
The Congress leaders, however, chose to ignore the BJP’s historic victory and the Congress’s defeat in Gujarat. Rahul addressed two election rallies – in Rajkot and Surat – on a day’s campaign in Gujarat and did not visit Himachal Pradesh even once.
After the Himachal Pradesh poll results were declared, the Congress officially admitted that the yatra had an impact on the election.
If the Congress leaders are to be believed, the real first test of BJY is visible in Karnataka. However, it remains to be seen if BJY will have a similar impact on MP, Rajasthan and Telangana which go to polls later this year.