Youth Jodo, Booth Jodo: How effective is Youth Congress' campaign in Karnataka?

New Delhi: The Youth Congress has identified around 110 constituencies in Karnataka where it has launched its 'Youth Jodo, Booth Jodo' campaign for the May 10 assembly elections.

The Youth Congress team, drawn from office bearers across the country, has spread in these constituencies to take the party’s message to every household.

The list includes those seats that the Congress won or lost by narrow margins in the 2018 assembly elections.

Some of these seats are Byadgi, Govindrajnagar, Bellary City, Hiriyur, Vijaynagara, Terdal, Hosadurga, Hiriyur, Bilgi, Aurad, Chickpet, Athani and Nippani.

They are going door-to-door and telling the people about the Congress party's guarantees and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s failures.

The campaign had earlier tasted success in the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh late last year. The Congress bagged 40 of the total 68 seats, ousting the BJP from power.

In Karnataka, the Youth Congress is using the same tactics to connect with young voters.

The Youth Congress, which claimed to have 13 million members in 2013, had come under severe criticism from party leaders for not coming to the aid of the parent party in 2014 when it was fighting one of the most difficult elections in its history.

The Youth Congress was also blamed for its failure to connect with youngsters who moved away from the grand old party in the wake of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement in 2011.

However, Youth Congress president Srinivas BV claims that his organisation is working hard to restore its status as the “sword arm” of the Congress party.

He said the Youth Congress members are actively working on the ground in the southern state for the past 50 days. They have been asked to concentrate on their designated areas and primarily target the first-time voters.

The youth of Karnataka are desperately looking for jobs, and the BJP government has failed in creating employment opportunities, Srinivas said, adding that many investors have deserted the state as BJP leaders lacked long-term vision.

According to Youth Congress national spokesperson Varun Pandey, the campaign paid rich electoral dividends for the party in Himachal Pradesh and is expected to do extremely well in Karnataka too.