Congress eyes 2028 polls with 10,000 Bharat Jodo youth groups

BENGALURU: With an eye on the 2028 Assembly elections, the Congress is seeking to turn its Bharat Jodo youth network into a grassroots political and organisational force, with around 7.5 lakh youngsters already enrolled across Karnataka.

Under the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department, the government will form 10,000 Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas across the state and plans to expand the network by enrolling around 10 lakh youths in the coming months. The initiative covers youngsters aged 16 to 35 and the party views it as a potential platform to connect with young and first-time voters.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday highlighted the initiative’s political significance, recalling the Congress’s performance in the 2023 Assembly elections. He said the party had won seats in several areas through which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra passed during its Karnataka leg, from Chamarajanagar to Ballari.

“The Bharat Jodo Yatra was undertaken to protect the unity and integrity of the country. The Congress won in the places through which the yatra passed. The same wave will continue in 2028, and we are confident that the Congress will return to power,” he said.

Each approved Bharat Jodo Yuva Sangha will have 100-250 members and focus on sports, leadership development, cultural activities and community service. The government has announced an annual grant of Rs 10 lakh for each approved Sangha, with a total outlay of Rs 1,000 crore. The Karnataka Cabinet recently approved Rs 781 crore as an allocation under the supplementary budget to fund the Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas.

The initiative, however, has also attracted the attention of the Opposition. BJP MLAs have reportedly begun encouraging their loyal youth supporters to join the Sanghas, sensing the potential political advantage the Congress could derive from the network.

“Though the initiative may give the Congress an edge, we have tactically involved our party’s youth in it,” two BJP MLAs told TNIE.

Shivakumar also said the government was seeking to expand grassroots participation by involving people in guarantee committees. Six persons from every panchayat will get an opportunity to serve on the committees, providing around 70,000 people with a role in implementing and monitoring the government’s guarantee schemes.

Shivakumar said the Congress had chalked out a plan to ensure every voter in the state was covered under one or the other government scheme, including the guarantees. He said that while the party had garnered 1.36 crore votes in the 2023 Assembly elections, the five guarantee schemes had covered 4.5 crore people, including women and students.