Congress Credits Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra For Karnataka Performance

Congress on Saturday credited its leader Rahul Gandhi’s pan-India ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ for its Karnataka election performance.

The grand-old-party posted a video montage of Rahul Gandhi's pictures from the Bharat Jodo Yatra with the popular English song "Unstoppable" playing in the background. 

The two top Karnataka Congress leaders who have steered the party in the state—DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah—were absent from the video.

Congress spokespersons appearing on various news channels have also been crediting Rahul Gandhi's foot march for the Karnataka performance. 

Senior Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted that the atmosphere during Rahul Gandhi's Yatra in Karnataka was visible in the election results.

"The atmosphere which was visible in Karnataka during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra is clearly visible in the election results of Karnataka today. Under the leadership of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress leaders did a great campaign. Karnataka has chosen the politics of development by rejecting communal politics. This will be repeated in the upcoming Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana assembly elections as well," he tweeted in Hindi.

Congress has a comfortable lead, shooting past the halfway mark, the latest trends show. The ruling BJP is leading on 70-plus seats and HD Kumaraswamy's JD(S) is ahead in over 25 seats.

The Congress has asked all its MLAs to reach Bengaluru, as leads placed it across the halfway mark. Congress's Siddaramaiah said he is sure of the party crossing the 120 mark. There are reports that the party has booked several resorts to keep its flock together. It prompted a jibe from the BJP, which said the Congress "doesn't trust its MLAs".