Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is entering its final phase and it’s been a marathon walk for the Congress leader. This is also his last chance at reinventing himself and seems to be his attempt so far. According to Yashwant Deshmukh’s C Voter Tracker, the all India satisfaction with Rahul Gandhi before LS 2019 was 54.6 %. However, this had fallen to 40.4 % in January 2022; and post the yatra, it rose to 48% in Jan 2023. But when it came to asking if the voters would like to see Rahul as the PM, the figure is still down to 30.3 % in January 2023 (against 38.6 % in 2019 & 28.4 % in January 2022). The same tracker also showed that PM Modi’s popularity was 50.9% in 2019 and that it has risen by ten percent to 60.3% in 2023. So, in a limited sense of increasing Rahul’s own popularity and credibility, the yatra has been a success; but when it comes to a prime ministerial race where he is pitted against the PM, Rahul still falls painfully short. As Yashwant Deshmukh points out, the personal ratings are not enough because in a race you are not running alone, you are running against someone so you have to pit yourself against that person’s ratings. “Rahul ka image jodo” is a good first step, but there are strides to go before his yatra can be well and truly completed. The C Voter polls simply amplifies the anecdotal evidence on the ground. The yatra is getting the crowds and the headlines. There is a very cleverly crafted social media campaign that is bolstering the image of a caring, sharing leader who can joke with his colleagues, empathise with the downtrodden and blast fire and fury at his opponents. It also shows that some leaders of the opposition are ready to share this platform for the yatra saw M.K. Stalin, Aditya Thackeray, Supriya Sule join in. But there were those that didn’t. Such as Nitish Kumar, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal. I don’t think that either Mamata or Kejriwal were invited, but my larger point being that those with prime ministerial ambitions themselves did not climb on to Rahul’s platform. They don’t see him as the first among equals just yet. This is the perception battle Rahul still has to win. There is an eight-year anti-incumbency against the Prime Minister and this is what the yatra is tapping into. Congress leaders associated with the yatra are buoyed at the response. The problem, however, is that even if Rahul connects with the anti-BJP voter, his party does not have the organisational discipline to convert these into votes. Any dissatisfaction that Rahul stirs could well go the way of the regional parties that are taking on the BJP, instead of the Congress. And, Congress leaders are ready to take this as a win as well, for right now, the dominant focus of the party is to dislodge the BJP. A Congress comeback can await another election. This, apparently, is what the leadership feels. But what about the average party worker and leader who is going to use all her/his resources to fight the next election? Are they ready for another stint out of power? Or will they defect to greener options, such as the rising star of Arvind Kejriwal, a leader without a pan Indian organisation? The challenges for Rahul and his yatris are not just from the BJP, but also from within the opposition fold.
