Mugathi, Andhra Pradesh: A resident of neighbouring Yemmiganur, Mallesh Babu (55) had been ready patiently for over 4 hours Thursday exterior the campsite in Mugathi village in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district. That is the place you may catch a glimpse of Rahul Gandhi when he takes a short break from his mega walkathon Bharat Jodo Yatra, he was informed.
Mallesh had seen the Congress MP from Wayanad a number of instances on tv however wished to see him in individual. Requested if he knew why Gandhi was main this cross-country walkathon, Mallesh had no reply, nor may he title the 2019 Congress candidate from his constituency.
Nonetheless, Mallesh was not the one admirer ready exterior the camps arrange by the Congress in Kurnool villages that Gandhi is touring.
One of many largest challenges the Congress faces in Andhra is a scarcity of recognisable faces in its state unit.
The occasion, nonetheless, hopes Bharat Jodo Yatra will likely be an ‘opening’ in a state the place it stands decimated. Congress common secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, mentioned revival of the Congress in Andhra is a long-term challenge and one that’s certain to be very difficult.
“We have now actually been decimated in Andhra Pradesh and the anger over bifurcation (creation of Telangana) remains to be there. We had an electoral debacle in 2014 and 2019…. The revival of Congress just isn’t going to occur in a single or two years, it’s a long-term course of,” he informed ThePrint.
It’s a “20-year challenge,” he mentioned, including, “Bharat Jodo Yatra is like a gap for us within the state. We’ve come again and are additionally again in political, media and civil society narrative. It’s as much as us how we take it ahead.”
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‘Andhra Pradesh is completely different’
Voters in Andhra Pradesh didn’t elect a single Congress consultant to both the state meeting or Parliament in 2019. The occasion’s state unit is plagued with points equivalent to inside management tussles, poor coordination amongst leaders, absence of leaders on the bottom, and a dearth of recognisable faces.
“We have now been interacting with individuals at tea outlets, vegetable distributors, and hawkers as we stroll, and one of the vital frequent feedbacks we acquired was how individuals have no idea who the native Congress candidate was,” mentioned a state Congress chief who didn’t want to be named.
Including that it’s “not nearly having a well-recognised face”, he informed ThePrint: “It is usually about how continuously that individual is in contact with voters and we realised that in some areas, it’s actually nil. Similar has been informed to Rahul Gandhi ji as a part of our suggestions.”
The ‘Bharat yatris’ who’ve been travelling alongside Rahul Gandhi mentioned that the turnout was comparatively higher in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Given the Congress’ electoral fortunes in Andhra, the occasion cadre had low expectations about what number of locals would flip up for the yatra. However the turnout, they are saying, was means higher than what they’d anticipated.
In accordance with Andhra Congress leaders who didn’t want to be named, the cadre mobilised a minimum of 100 individuals from every district. The youth wing was requested to mobilise over a thousand and Mahila Congress one other hundred for the yatra. Bulletins had been made 10 days upfront throughout your entire route of Rahul Gandhi’s walkathon within the state.
“For the yatra in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the place now we have a wholesome vote share, there was a great response. However Andhra Pradesh is completely different. Our vote share is lower than 2 per cent right here and but, now we have had a pleasantly first rate response, exceeding our expectations,” mentioned Ramesh.
He, nonetheless, added, “I perceive now we have simply toured in a single district in Rayalaseema within the state and if we go to coastal areas, we would face the anger that bifurcation has led to… We have now an extended option to go.”
Bifurcation, Amaravati sole capital
From successful 33 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 — 25 seats in Andhra and 17 in Telangana had been counted collectively in 2009 and 2014 — to zero seats in 2019, the Congress has suffered a drastic descent in Andhra.
Its incapability to counter anger spurred by the bifurcation and migration of its leaders to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Occasion (YSRCP) and different events are among the many many causes for the Congress’ waning recognition in Andhra.
That the occasion’s picture took a extreme beating publish the bifurcation is clear by the truth that not even one in every of its candidates in Andhra was elected within the 2014 common and meeting polls held concurrently.
From 36.55 per cent within the 2009 meeting polls, the Congress’s vote share in Andhra Pradesh dropped to 11.71 per cent in 2014. In 2019, the occasion did not safe a single meeting seat, polling a mere 1.17 per cent of the overall votes, even decrease than the 1.28 per cent polled by NOTA.
Within the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it managed to ballot a meagre 1.3 per cent of the overall votes in Andhra towards 1.5 per cent polled by NOTA.
To deal with the problem of bifurcation, Rahul Gandhi assured Particular Class Standing to the state in accordance with The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act the day after Bharat Jodo entered the state. This has been a longstanding demand from voters in Andhra post-bifurcation.
He additionally lashed out at CM Jagan’s proposal of three state capitals, whereas endorsing that Amaravati must be the only real capital of Andhra.
“When Gandhi was touring in Kerala and Karnataka, Congress picked up some momentum in AP too. The Reddy group, which dominates the vote financial institution in Rayalaseema area, of which Kurnool is a component, felt Congress might have the potential to emerge as a substitute for the BJP at nationwide stage. It’s unclear if Congress didn’t realise what was the bottom pulse, in order that they did not capitalise on it,” mentioned political analyst Purushotham Reddy.
Including that Rahul Gandhi ought to have interacted extra with native teams throughout his keep in Rayalaseema, Reddy informed ThePrint: “Folks of Rayalaseema area at all times felt they had been overlooked, they wished a excessive courtroom right here, wished a part of capital right here, and Gandhi coming right here and saying Amaravati as sole capital won’t have gone down properly with them.”
He additionally identified the absence of former chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy (final CM of undivided Andhra) from the yatra.
Nonetheless, sources in Andhra Congress mentioned the veteran Congressman needed to steer clear of the yatra resulting from an prolonged member of the family’s dying, including that he additionally kept away from voting throughout Congress presidential polls
For now, the Congress’ revival technique in Andhra includes selling youthful leaders throughout the state unit and rebuilding its organisation, one brick at a time. However the highway to revival right here is lengthy, arduous and ridden with formidable political adversaries.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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