Truck drivers to UPSC aspirants, Congress eyes more ‘impromptu’ meets for Rahul Gandhi

An overnight meeting with truck drivers on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway, a chat with civil service aspirants at Delhi University’s north campus, a meeting with slum dwellers in Shakurbasti and conversations with women on a Bangalore bus -- these seemingly impromptu meetings that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has had over the past three months are, in fact, part of a well-planned strategy, party leaders in the know said on Friday.

With just a year to go for the general elections and three major states, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, going to the polls later this year, Gandhi is expected to have more of these meetings to spread his message among the target audience.

Read: ‘Jan ki baat’: Congress on Rahul Gandhi’s truck ride from Delhi to Chandigarh

Gandhi’s team members, requesting anonymity, said that these meetings were a continuation of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the 4,000km journey on foot from Tamil Nadu to Jammu and Kashmir over four months. While there is talk of replication of the journey from the east to the west of the country, Gandhi’s team is wary that there simply won’t be enough time to do so on foot. And that’s where these group sessions come in, fulfilling the objective of meeting people and gathering clues about what the voters want.

​“A large segment of young India gets ignored in the popular narrative,’’ said Congress leader Pawan Khera. ​“During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi held several interactions with gig workers. As a result, the Rajasthan govt announced a policy for this category. Our Karnataka manifesto too focused on them.’’

So, for instance, Gandhi may have spent just six hours with a handful of truckers on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway but his team estimates that the community of truck drivers is about 30 million strong, with nearly 900,000 new drivers required every year across the country. By travelling at night and talking to them about their concerns, Gandhi hopes to forge an emotional connection with the larger trucking community.

The careful curation of such meetings may be comparable to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign in the run-up to the 2014 polls. At the time, Modi’s team planned various meetings at places as diverse as Delhi University’s Sri Ram College of Commerce and smaller “chai pe charcha” (discussions over tea) events. To be sure, one of Modi’s campaign managers from 2014, Sunil Kanugolu, is now in the Congress party. But Gandhi’s team dismisses any such comparisons.

WATCH: Rahul Gandhi with civil services aspirants in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar

“Gandhi is building relationships and connections with people directly on the ground, in their spaces,’’ said one person who is involved in the planning. “He intends to build an association with these people after the interactions as well.’’

In the coming days, more such meetings can be expected with different demographics -- teachers, mechanics, carpenters and shopkeepers -- with a special focus on women from ordinary backgrounds.

​“It’s building his image as a people’s person,’’ said political commentator Manisha Priyam. ​“A political leader is best formed amongst the masses. Rahul Gandhi has certainly scaled up on his people’s person image. Don’t know how this can be a force multiplier, but many see this as a positive image on social media.’’