It goes beyond the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Even if they are not as large, long marches are crisscrossing regions like Tripura, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar, intensifying the electoral fever in the midst of the chilly winter.
Briefly,
The governing BJP has continued its Jana Sankalpa Yatra in Karnataka.
The BJP has continued its Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Rajasthan, which is under Congress’ control.
After his statewide Samadhan Yatra, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is planning an India visit.
Web Desk for India Today Nine states will have elections in 2023. Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Telangana are among them. Additionally, elections may be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.
The political climate for the 2024 parliamentary election will be determined by these ten assembly elections. It makes sense that political parties will use every possible measure to increase and broaden the base of support they enjoy. Political yatras are the ideal technique to do this. Therefore, the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi is not the only event that began in September 2022.
Long marches, albeit not as widespread, are crisscrossing states like Tripura, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar, intensifying the electoral fever in the midst of the chilly winter.
Amit Shah, the Union minister of the interior, on Thursday officially inaugurated the BJP’s Jan Viswas Yatra.
The eight-day yatra will visit all 60 seats to highlight the development projects the BJP administration has been working on since 2018. The BJP’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), a crucial partner in the tribal movement, is in trouble. 30 committees have been set up by the BJP state unit to handle election-related tasks.
The BJP also suffered a blow when, in August of this year, Hangsha Kumar Tripura, the party’s leader of the opposition in the Autonomous District Council, joined the Tipra Motha with 6,000 of his tribal supporters. Just two months after it was established, Tipra Motha won the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections in April of last year. The party with a tribal base is attempting to create a political front against the BJP. And it could have the support of the Left, the Congress, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
KARNATAKA
The Congress has also planned a bus yatra this month to challenge the saffron party’s outreach begun from Raichur last month, with an aim to encompass all of Karnataka. The ruling BJP has been moving on with its Jana Sankalpa Yatra in the state 52 electoral districts. From Belagavi, where Mahatma Gandhi presided over the only Congress session in 1924, the Congress will begin its yatra.
Karnataka is a prestige state for the BJP. It only holds power in one state in southern India. In a desperate attempt to seize control from the saffron party, the Congress. But both must face difficulties. While the Congress struggles with intramural conflict, the BJP administration is accused of corruption.
The conflict between current CM Basavaraj Bommai and previous CM BS Yediyurappa is another issue for the BJP. In several locations, Yediyurappa has disregarded the Jana Sankalapa Yatra. With an eye on the elections, attempts are being made to resolve the disputes. Bommai and Yediyurappa have both released statements denouncing separate negotiations.
The BJP is divided on the topic of expanding the Cabinet as well. Bommai met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 14 to talk about the situation. Shah refused to approve of the expansion. While some BJP officials believe that expanding the Cabinet will energise the party before the polls, another group believes it will be a fruitless endeavour.
The Karnataka Congress appears to be divided on ticket distribution as well. The tickets would be decided by the party high command, not Siddaramaiah, the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, according to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar’s statement in November. However, MB Patil, a different state-based Congress politician, said, “Siddaramaiah will also be the process of making a choice.”
MADHYA PRADESH
In order to launch and lay the cornerstone for several development projects, the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh, another state that will vote this year, has chosen to organise “Vikas Yatra” events across the state beginning in February.
There are many rumours that the BJP may choose a new chief minister, as it did in Gujarat and won. Changing Shivraj Chouhan, the chief minister, might aid the party in surviving a potential anti-incumbency tsunami. One group thinks the move would be made by the BJP to get more votes, while another believes Chouhan will still serve as chief minister despite a potential cabinet overhaul.
According to reports, the opposition Congress agreed to release a “Vachan Patra” (election manifesto) in May that would address concerns and demands specific to each district as well as the state level. This might be a pivotal action.
The BJP won the local body elections in July. Following the success, the party declared that, in preparation for the 2023 Assembly elections, it had trounced Congress in the semifinal. Election preparations are well underway, according to Madhya Pradesh’s home minister Narottam Mishra, while Congressman Kamal Nath is busy attending meetings pertaining to the elections.
RAJASTHAN
The BJP has continued its Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Rajasthan, which is under Congress’ control. JP Nadda, the leader of the BJP, started the “Jan Aakrosh Yatra” on December 1 in preparation for the next Assembly elections in an effort to pressure the Ashok Gehlot administration on matters pertaining to governance and farmers.
CM Ashok Gehlot is up against severe opposition from Sachin Pilot, a fellow Congressman. Their competition for the position of CM has been public. Gehlot’s team angered the top leadership three months ago by skipping the parliamentary party meeting. Gehlot was had to withdraw from the run for president of the Congress. But he keeps up his defiance.
The 2023 election campaign has already begun. Vasundhara Raje, a former chief minister, urged the BJP to prepare for the elections in October. On December 18, Gehlot asserted that the absence of anti-incumbency in the state is the greatest accomplishment ever.
The BJP is battling factionalism inside the party, just like the Congress does. While the BJP is relying on the Gehlot-Pilot rift, it has recently been plagued by infighting among its ranks.
BIHAR
Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, is travelling on his Samadhan Yatra.
Nitish aims to discover the public’s pulse through his Samadhan Yatra, which began on January 5 and will tour 18 districts in its initial 16-day period. Additionally, he seeks to dispel criticism brought on by his ally switch.
In Bihar, the Congress has launched the Hath Se Hath Jodo Yatra. The party’s electoral emblem is a hand. Mallikarjun Kharge, the party’s president, also took part and walked for 7 kilometres. Over 20 regions, the campaign will span 1,200 miles. January 5–10 will be the first phase’s operating period.
Since October 2, Prashant Kishor, a former election strategist who is now running for office, has been attacking Nitish and Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD in a blistering campaign tour known as the Jan Suraj Yatra in Bihar. The yatra intends to go 3,000 kilometres throughout all of the state’s districts. About 18 months will pass throughout this.
After his statewide Samadhan Yatra, Nitish is preparing an India trip.
