Today in Politics: INDIA show of strength at Rahul Yatra’s closing rally; PM Modi continues South push

The Election Commission (EC)’s announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls – to be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1 with results on June 4 – has set the stage for a grand battle between the ruling BJP and the Opposition INDIA alliance.

On Sunday, the INDIA bloc will kickstart its poll campaign from Mumbai’s iconic Shivaji Park, marking the culmination of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

After traversing more than 6,700 km through 15 states over two months, Rahul’s Yatra concluded on Saturday evening at the Chaitya Bhoomi, the memorial of B R Ambedkar in Mumbai. On Sunday morning, before the rally, Rahul will lead a Nyay Sankalp Padyatra from Mani Bhavan to August Kranti Maidan.

In what is expected to be a show of strength of the INDIA bloc, the Mumbai rally will see the participation of top Opposition leaders including NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief M K Stalin, Jharkhand CM and JMM leader Champai Soren, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, CPI(ML-L) general secretary Dipankar Bhattarchaya, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, and Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj as Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s representative.

The Congress party’s communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said an invitation has also been extended to Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar for the rally.

In context: While Sunday’s rally gives the INDIA bloc an opportunity to put up a united face, the Congress has been struggling to build a political discourse and narrative that the BJP can be defeated and that the INDIA bloc can be its credible alternative, as reported by Manoj C G.