Every political party that wants to make an impact in Parliament makes sure it has a presence in Uttar Pradesh that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, interestingly, almost completely ignores Uttar Pradesh.
The yatra will make a brief stopover in Bulandshahr in early January for three days before moving out. Of the total 3750 kilometres yatra, UP will get only about 105 kilometres and Rahul Gandhi will touch just one of the 75 districts in the state.
The Congress has already touched its nadir in the 2022 assembly elections with just a 2.3 per cent vote share and two seats in the state assembly.
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The party has just one Lok Sabha seat from UP - Rae Bareli.
With this performance -- that too, when the party campaign was being led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra -- one expected the Congress to put in renewed efforts to regain lost ground in the next general elections.
"The message is clear -- the wedge between 'Rahul Congress and Priyanka Congress' in UP has widened beyond repair. Apparently, Rahul does not wish to interfere in his sister's domain and has, therefore, kept UP almost out of his itinerary. How else does one explain that the yatra was in Kerala for almost 18 days and will be in UP for barely three and a half days," said a veteran Congress leader who did not wish to be named.
Another senior leader said that the yatra route was decided by Rahul's team and senior leaders from UP were not consulted and many were not even informed.
"This is the new Congress where decisions are taken by a core group and senior leaders are left out. Even the list of party leaders who will accompany Rahul Gandhi in the UP phase, does not include any former UPCC president. What can we do except watch helplessly?" he asked.
There is also resentment in the party cadres over the selection of 'padyatris' who will accompany Rahul Gandhi, which excludes many dedicated party men.
Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput, however, demolished all such allegations and said, "If you look at the yatra route, it is a straight line from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. If the yatra was made to tour UP extensively, it would have taken much more time. There is no question of ignoring UP. The yatra is not extensively touring states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh where elections are round the corner. The yatra is not focusing on elections, it has a larger purpose."
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Zeeshan Haidar, a former Congress leader who recently quit the party, said, "The Congress managers have chosen states where the party has a presence and have shrewdly avoided states where the party is in poor shape. Actually, the yatra should have focused on states where the Congress is weak so that the cadres could be mobilised."
Besides, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is in charge of UP, has not made any efforts to create a buzz about the yatra. In fact, she has visited UP only once, and that too for a few hours, after the Congress debacle in the assembly elections in March this year.
Unimpressed by Yatra, UP's political class asks: Is Rahul on a picnic? The Bharat Jodo Yatra, being led by Rahul Gandhi, may be creating a buzz in the southern states but when it comes to Uttar Pradesh, no party seems to be taking it seriously.
Parties that are in power, as well as those in the opposition, feel that the crowds being seen in the yatra now will fizzle out by the time the yatra reaches the Hindi heartland.
"The yatra is completely directionless. The purpose of the yatra is to attack the BJP and do some image building for Rahul Gandhi who has proved to be a failure as a leader," said BJP spokesman Harish Chandra Srivastava.
Another BJP functionary said that it was evident from the itinerary of the yatra that the Congress wants to keep a safe distance from states like Uttar Pradesh where it has a negligible presence left.
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"There are maximum stakes in UP where the general elections are concerned but the Congress is avoiding taking its yatra through the state which shows its nervousness. The party leaders know that if they bring the yatra here, the lack of crowds will expose the leadership," said a senior minister.
The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party -- the two main players in the opposition -- also do not seem enthused about the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
While both the parties did not officially comment on the yatra, their leaders - who spoke on condition of anonymity - said that it would make no difference to the fortunes of the Congress.
"It seems Rahul Gandhi is on a picnic and is enjoying the company of local people in the yatra. There are no serious issues or even efforts to consolidate the Congress. The momentum will peter out by the time it reaches Uttar Pradesh. In any case, the Congress is fighting itself in UP and partymen have no time for the yatra," said a SP MLA.
Similarly, a former BSP MLA said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra was more of a 'Bharat Ghoomo Yatra' since it had no visible political agenda.
"Our party is not even looking at the yatra because we know that it will not have any impact on UP. You can see how serious the Congress is about its revival in UP because Rahul has ignored UP in his yatra schedule and Priyanka is holidaying instead of working on the party here," he said.
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The absence of senior UP leaders in the yatra is another factor that has made the event lose sheen in the state.
About half a dozen former UPCC presidents, when contacted, refused to comment on their 'absence' from the yatra. One of them said, "We are simply not required in the yatra. Rahul Gandhi knows each one of us personally but we have not even been called once to participate. Perhaps, we have outlived our utility."
