Bracing for the Lok Sabha elections, the Jharkhand Congress has launched a unique initiative to bolster its numbers in the State in the form of a campaign rooted in sentimentality — one that aptly calls itself ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalein’ (Come, let’s return now).
Named after the 1999 movie starring Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai , the campaign specifically targets former Congress leaders who quit the party, or those previously associated with the Congress through family. These leaders are being invited to return to the party with the promise of a clean slate. Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur is of the opinion that because the legacy of the ‘Grand Old Party’ dates back to pre-Independent India, a soft corner for the Congress persists even today. “Ninety per cent of India’s population supported Congress before Independence, and after that, several leaders joined other newly formed political parties, but most people’s forefathers were Congressmen,” he said.
The charm of the campaign has worked on many. One of the former members who has been persuaded to return to the Congress is Geeta Shree Oraon, former MLA from Sisai and daughter of prominent tribal leader and Congress MP Kartik Oraon. Disappointed by some of the party’s policies, she had resigned last January, but upon being welcomed back into the fold, said, “I do feel that in the larger perspective, Congress is a very strong party and can defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent a hattrick in 2024.”
Praising Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, she added: “People across India have taken note of [the yatra] and the way he connects with the people. An example is the Karnataka election. Congress has always worked hard and not indulged in propaganda like the BJP, which is more interested in dividing society.”
But perhaps the larger appeal of the ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalein’ campaign lies in its outreach to not only former members, but also the general public, the young and the uninitiated. Although the campaign is just over a week old, more than a thousand people have joined the Congress.
With regard to a special focus on rural areas, Mr. Thakur said, “Panchayat heads and district council members are joining the party besides just former Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs). People in rural areas could be great assets at the time of elections since they have a sense of ground reality. These people were Congressmen, but were exploited by other political parties, and now have been given an open platform to return.”
The campaign is widely seen as an attempt to expand the party’s base ahead of the Lok Sabha and Jharkhand Assembly elections, both of which will take place next year. Besides the campaign, the Jharkhand Congress has formed coordination committees in all 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, and has deputed them to work at the grassroot level to collect feedback from the people and chalk out a strategy accordingly.
The State party leadership is also working on a national workshop called the Leadership Development Mission (LDM) to elevate the party’s influence in seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, 12 are held by the BJP-led NDA, and one each by the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). During the elections, Congress had only narrowly missed out on two seats, Lohardaga and Khunti. The LDM has already begun working hard in these two constituencies to prevent another loss.
