Congress leader Kumari Selja to launch 'padyatra' in Haryana's urban areas in July end

Chandigarh: Congress leader Kumari Selja has decided to launch a "padayatra" in July end to connect with Haryana's urban voters ahead of the Assembly polls slated to be held later this year. According to a statement, the main objective of the foot march is to strengthen the Congress in urban areas and gain a decisive advantage over the BJP.

It stated that a study of the 2024 Lok Sabha election results has shown that the BJP gained an edge in 44 assembly areas of the state, most of which are urban.

Of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, the BJP and the Congress bagged five each in the recently concluded general elections.

"With the assembly elections approaching, the Congress needs to focus on urban assembly areas with a new strategy. Therefore, Kumari Selja has decided to conduct a 'Padayatra' in the urban areas to strengthen the party," the statement said.

Through this "Padyatra", the message of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will be communicated to every urban voter and they will be informed in detail about the BJP's "misrule" in the last 10 years, it said.

The statement quoted Selja, an MP from Sirsa, as saying that planning is underway to launch the foot march in the last week of July and its route will be announced soon.

Selja had launched the Congress' Jansandesh Yatra in the state in January ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

In the statement, Sela referred to Rahul Gandhi's two cross-country yatras and termed those the "biggest in the country's history".

"He travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Manipur to Maharashtra to fight for the common people. He talked to every section of the society, understood their pain and communicated the Congress' message to them," she said.

"Inspired by him, a Jansandesh Yatra was conducted in the state in January-February, the result of which was clearly seen in the Lok Sabha elections," Selja said.

She claimed that her party is not as weak in the urban areas as the BJP tries to project.

"The Congress still has a strong workforce in urban areas. They need to be united and infused with new energy. Rahul Gandhi and Kharge's message needs to be conveyed to them. Once the morale of urban workers is boosted, nothing can stop the Congress from achieving a three-fourths majority in the state Assembly," Selja added.