Brij Bhardwaj
Bharat Jodo Yatra launched by Congress Party has hit the headlines in newspapers and on T.V channels.But question being asked is will it make any impact at ground level or help in reviving the fortunes of the party. To start with Yatris will be spending maximum time in States like Karnataka , Kerala, Telengana, Maharashtra , Madhya Pradesh , Rajasthan , Haryana , and Punjab.
It will cover only 11 States in all and in case of U.P which sends eighty members to Lok Sabha it will be there only for five days. So Congress party which ruled India for nearly sixty years is now confined to fewer States which is making it into a regional outfit instead of being a national party. States that will not be touched include West Bengal, North East and Gujarat.
Congress party not very long ago dominated North East and in Gujarat it came close to upsetting BJP, in last elections. It will also not touch Himachal Pradesh a state where it ruled for a long time. As such there is no doubt that what Congress is trying to do is to fight in few States so that its present tally does not go down and is leaving out States like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh where it was a dominant player in not very distant past.
In States like Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh Aam Aadmi party is trying to spread its wings as it did earlier in Punjab where Aam Aadmi Party is ruling the State which had Congress Government earlier. There is talk of opposition unity but leaders of West Bengal, Telengana and Samajwadi Party of U.P have made it clear that they do not want Congress to be a part of Opposition front.
This is happening despite efforts by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who wants a united front of opposition parties including Congress. With so may in the field for leadership of front, the chances of unity in opposition ranks seems rather remote at present. More so leaders like Naveen Patnaik of Orissa, Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh and Mayawati have not shown any inclination to join opposition front and have been lending support to BJP in election of President and Vice President.
Another leader who has been out of any efforts to present a united front of opposition parties is Mayawati. She may not have a presence in Lok Sabha , but has a committed voted bank which can make a difference in a close contest. As such it looks that BJP may get a third term without much difficulty even though there are no major allies except few small outfits whose influence is confined to few districts.
Another factor that favours the BJP is the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who remains a favourite for the top job. Despite problems like inflation, unemployment and impact of Covid BJP has created an impression that there is no alternative and no leader is even close to Modi as a choice for Prime Ministership.. BJP has problems like in-fighting in some States and some senior leaders like Subramaniam Swami and others questioning the Government policies but such voices remain subdued and are ignored by top leadership.
Unless a miracle happens in terms of opposition unity , BJP dissidents find a voice and problems of inflation and unemployment become unmanageable, BJP is all set to win a third term. BJP is not only set to win Hindi belt but also may find seats in South and spread its wings.
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