AhmedabadDecember 4, 2025 08:09 AM IST
First published on: Dec 4, 2025 at 08:09 AM IST
After traversing 1,100 kms across seven districts of Gujarat over two weeks, the first phase of the Congress’s Jan Akrosh Yatra culminated in Bechraji in Mehsana district Wednesday in the presence of senior party leaders – including Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda, CLP leader Tushar Chaudhary, former Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki – and amid a virtual address by AICC general secretary Sachin Pilot.
The yatra, with the tagline “parivartan no shankhnaad (announcement of change)”, was undertaken by the Gujarat Congress brass with the aim of reversing the party’s electoral fortunes in a state where it has been out of power since 1995.
Several Congress leaders claimed that the yatra received a “good response” from people and has set the stage for the party’s “revival”. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress was routed by the BJP, getting only 17 of the state’s 182 seats as against the latter’s 156 seats.
“The yatra has struck a chord with the people over farmer-related issues and illegal sale of liquor and drugs. The people welcomed us and shared their issues as they feel the government is at fault. It also instilled enthusiasm in party workers. We can work only if they are enthused. The state leadership’s involvement has made them more active,” said Gulabhsinh Rajput, the Banaskantha District Congress Committee (DCC) president and ex-MLA.
The yatra, which began from Dhima of Vav-Tharad, travelled through Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Gandhinagar, Patan and Mehsana. Apart from Chavda and Chaudhary, several central party leaders such as the AICC’s Gujarat in-charge Mukul Wasnik, AICC media department chairman Pawan Khera, former Youth Congress national president B V Srinivas along with many current and former legislators and district presidents participated in it.
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The yatra seemingly gained traction after Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani slammed the Gujarat police for their “failure” to prevent the sale of illegal drugs and liquor in their areas.
While the Congress has stood firmly behind Mevani, it has also intensified its attacks on Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi over the issue.
Calling the state government’s Rs 10,000 crore relief package for farmers “insufficient”, the Congress also reiterated its demand for a farm loan waiver, citing their “sustained huge losses” due to unseasonal rains. During the course of the yatra, the party also raised issues of inflation and unemployment, demanding the scrapping of the fixed-wage employment policy and contract system.
The Congress also deployed its North Gujarat in-charge Subhashini Yadav for the yatra. The region is considered a Congress stronghold, with six of its 12 MLAs coming from the seats along the yatra’s route. The party’s lone MP in the Lok Sabha, Geniben Thakor, also hails from the region.
“I agree the Congress’s condition is weak but people of Gujarat are facing troubles. Hence, the results (of the 2027 Assembly polls) may be against the BJP,” Mehsana DCC chief Baldevji Thakor said.
The Congress’s Patan MLA Kirit Patel said the yatra has “dispelled” the impression that the party does not reach out to people or raise their issues. “If this continues, it will set the momentum for us for the next Assembly elections,” he added.
Holding that the party is “actively preparing” for the 2027 elections, Solanki invoked the party’s most impressive performance in the recent past – the 2017 elections when it had bagged 77 seats. “We all worked in 2017 and fell short marginally. If we want to make the statement that Rahul ji (Rahul Gandhi) made in Parliament come true, people have to be brought together,” he said, adding that the April 2026’s local body polls will set the tone for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Chavda has also announced the next four phases of the yatra – the second phase will be held in central Gujarat, the third in Saurashtra, the fourth in South Gujarat, and the final phase in the Kutch region.