How Congress, allies performed along the routes of two Bharat Jodo Yatras: A gain of 41 seats

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, held one year apart, were designed as a voter outreach and an exercise to build Rahul Gandhi’s image. In the constituencies along the route of the two yatras, the Congress and its current INDIA bloc allies — many of whom had contested on their own in 2019 — gained 41 seats.

During the first yatra — from September 2022 to January 2023 — Rahul Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street-corner meetings, and 13 press conferences. He covered over 4,000 km across 75 districts and 71 Lok Sabha constituencies in 12 states and two Union territories.

The yatra, which started from Kanyakumari and ended in Kashmir, passed through 71 Lok Sabha constituencies, of which the Congress contested 56 seats and won 23 this time. In 2019, it contested 65 of these seats and won 15. Meanwhile, the Congress’s INDIA bloc allies were in the fray in 14 of these seats this time and bagged six. In 2019, the allies contested four of the 71 seats and won two. The two constituencies of Srinagar (J&K) and Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh) were not contested by any of the INDIA bloc parties in 2019.

The second yatra covered 82 Lok Sabha constituencies from January 14 to March 16 this year. The Congress travelled from Imphal in Manipur to Mumbai in Maharashtra, a distance of almost 6,713 km, mostly by bus.

Of the 82 constituencies, the Congress contested 49 seats and won 17. In 2019, it had contested 71 constituencies but won just six. This time, the party gave 33 seats to its allies who won 18. Five years ago, these parties had contested 10 of these seats but failed to win any.

In Andhra Pradesh, where the first yatra travelled, the Congress failed to win the two seats covered. It