Win some, lose some: Bharat Jodo Yatra's electoral impact uneven
Bharat Jodo Yatra energised the Congress' rank and file but the jury is out on the electoral impact it had on the states through which it passed with the party winning Karnataka in May and now Telangana while losing the Hindi-heartland states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The assembly polls following the yatra has thrown up a mixed 2-2 result. Karnataka and Telangana went to the Congress but it suffered crushing defeats in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan at the hands of the BJP.
The Congress also lost Chhattisgarh to its rival but the yatra had not passed through that state.
Polls in Hind-heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and the southern state of Telangana were held between November 7 and 30, and votes were counted on Sunday.
The Congress in May had hailed the last year's Bharat Jodo Yatra for the party's success in the polls to the 224-member Karnataka assembly.
The party had won 15 of the 20 assembly constituencies in the state the foot march had passed through.
During its poll campaign in Telangana, the Congress had been hailing the yatra for its turnaround in Karnataka with several leaders saying that the foot march had not only energised party workers but also connected the party with the common people.
Electorally, the yatra seems to have paid dividends in the south as both in Karnataka and Telangana, the Congress gained momentum with it and went on to score emphatic wins against formidable opponents, the BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, respectively.
