Congress started UP Jodo Yatra.
Congress started UP Jodo Yatra.
Rahul Gandhi, the architect of Bharat Jodo Yatra, is embroiled in the controversy of mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, while on the other hand, Congress has started UP Jodo Yatra. UP Congress President Ajay Rai started this yatra from Gangoha in Saharanpur. Before starting the journey he had darshan of Mother Shakambhari Devi. On this occasion, Ajay Rai said that this yatra is being undertaken to raise the voice of the people. Sugarcane farmers should get a price of Rs 500 per quintal. Unemployment should go away and people of all classes should get equal opportunities.
According to media reports, this yatra, which will last for about 22 days, will pass through 11 districts and cover about 15 Lok Sabha constituencies. It will end at Sitapur via Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Lakhimpur Kheri. During the yatra, Congress leaders will visit religious places related to every religion and pay obeisance. After having darshan of Maa Shakumbhari Devi, he will offer a chadar at the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Qutub Alam in Gagoh. Apart from this, the Naimisharanya Darshan program of the pilgrimage site located in Sitapur has also been organised.
Effort to get Muslim votes
Media reports suggest that Muslim voters play a decisive role in the 15 Lok Sabha constituencies through which the UP Jodo Yatra will pass. According to political analysts, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, due to Modi wave, BJP got benefit in these Lok Sabha constituencies, but after this, SP, BSP and RLD got benefit in these Lok Sabha seats. Along with Muslim voters, Jat voters also have dominance in these areas. In such a situation, Congress is trying to regain the lost voters by following the path of ‘Soft Hindutva’.
Akhilesh Yadav also engaged in strengthening PDA alliance
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is also busy in building the PDA alliance i.e. backward-Dalit and minority class. Quoting media reports, it is being said that SP, which is part of the India alliance, wants more seats in the Lok Sabha elections in UP. If there is a dispute with Congress regarding seat distribution, then with the help of PDA alliance, the Lok Sabha elections can be won with a huge majority. At the same time, Congress also fears that even if seats are not distributed, the party will still remain in a strong position in the elections.
