Madhya Pradesh polls: Congress kicks off ‘Jan Akrosh Yatra’ to highlight BJP failures

The Indian National Congress on Tuesday, 19 September, kicked off its ‘Jan Aakrosh Yatra’ from seven parts of Madhya Pradesh, with the aim of highlighting the BJP government’s failures in the poll-bound state.

The Yatra will cover 230 state assembly constituencies over the next two weeks.

While leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Govind Singh led the campaign from Sheopur district in the Gwalior–Chambal region, while Ajay Singh (Rahul) launched the yatra from Rewa district of Vindhya region. Former minister Arun Yadav led from Damoh in the Sagar division.

“On the holy festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, the Congress is starting its Jan Aakrosh Yatra. The purpose of these yatras is to express the pain and suffering of the oppressed people due to the misrule of the Shivraj government for 18 years,” state Congress president Kamal Nath said.

AICC in-charge for the state Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that “Madhya Pradesh is witnessing severe anarchy, crime, fear, atrocities, and looting”.

“All sections, including tribals, farmers, Dalits, daughters, sons, backward classes and youths, want to remove this government to save the state,” Surjewala has said.

The ruling BJP had meanwhile already rolled out its campaign titled ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’, led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, seeking the 'blessings' of the people in the forthcoming elections.

However, Chouhan's position seems already somewhat embattled with several key BJP members defecting to the Congress—including a sarpanch from his own constituency who he seemed to have relied on.

The BJP’s Jan Ashirvad Yatra will culminate in Bhopal on September 25. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the 'mahakumbh' or mega gathering of BJP workers on the occasion.

In the 2018 elections, the Congress won 114 seats and the BJP won 109 seats in the state. Kamal Nath was sworn in as the chief minister.

However, when Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 22 loyalist MLAs, switched over to the saffron camp at the eleventh hour, the Congress government lost its majority and fell. The BJP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan was then sworn in as the chief minister.