Will Rahul's Yatra boost Congress chances?

Mahabubnagar: Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra that entered Palamuru region of Telangana state on Sunday has attracted a huge attention with thousands of Congress activists, party workers and general public giving a rousing welcome to the Gandhi Scion, upon his arrival at Krishna Bridge near Thai Road in Gudeballur village of Makthal constituency in Narayanpet district on Sunday.

Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by TPCC chief Revanth Reddy and other senior Congress leaders. Gandhi continued his walkathon for about 3 km and concluded the yatra around 10.30 am near Gudeballur village in Krishna mandal.

Thousands of people gathered in Mahabubnagar district to form part of the reception party. Gandhi, before concluding his walkathon after reaching Gudeballur, addressed the gathering and said his yatra was aimed at uniting the people of India. He slammed at the BJP for creating divisions and communal rifts in the society. It was spewing venom and dividing people along the lines of caste, region and religion. He said the yatra got an overwhelming response as it passed through Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He expressed happiness that people were extending a grand welcome and supporting the Congress party in a big way.

Gandhi also expressed concerns over the issues facing India. He said the rich were becoming richer and the poor were becoming further poorer. The BJP government miserably failed in addressing people's problems. Rising costs of commodities, increasing fuel prices, and lack of employment were causing immense hardships to people.

While the yatra is attracting huge attention in Palamuru region, converting the people's support into votes could be a big task for the the party. A tea stall owner Narayana said that though Makthal was a Congress bastion earlier, people were rooting for TRS as it implemented several novel welfare programmes, benefiting every family. Though people voted for Chittem Ram Mohan Reddy, he jumped into TRS party from Congress earlier. "We may vote for Congress, but just word of mouth and hollow promises are not enough. Its candidates need to be financially sound so as to woo the electorate and take up outreach programmes on a large scale," observed Narayana.

At the conclusion of Yatra, Gandhi announced a 3-day break to the Yatra from October 24 to 26 on account of Deepavali festival. The Yatra will resume from Gudeballur village on October 27. According to Congress sources, the yatra will cover 6 constituencies in erstwhile Mahabubnagar and is expected to reach Hyderabad on November 3.