This is an archive article published on January 30, 2023
Rahul Gandhi’s 4,084 km put him ahead of Andhra-Telangana’s long marchers
Before the Bharat Jodo Yatra, AP CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was seen as holding the record, for 3,648 km covered over a year and a half, between 2017 and 2019
3 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jan 31, 2023 06:32 AM IST
Rahul Gandhi started his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, and wrapped it up in Srinagar on Sunday, after covering 75 districts through 12 states. (Express photo by Shuaib Masoodi)
The YSRCP leader had walked 3,648 km, and swept to power by an unprecedented majority in the state in the elections that followed. It was till now considered the longest distance covered on foot by a politician in the country.
Rahul started his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, and wrapped it up in Srinagar on Sunday, after covering 75 districts through 12 states.
Jagan Reddy had started his ‘Praja Sankalpa Yatra’ from his late father Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy’s native village Idupalapaya in YSR Kadapa district on November 6, 2017, and concluded it at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district near the Odisha border on January 9, 2019, with breaks in the middle.
Formerly in the Congress, Jagan had left the party on being denied leadership of the state unit following the death of his father – former chief minister Y S R Reddy, himself a veteran of a long yatra. In 2014, Jagan’s YSRCP had finished behind the TDP to emerge as the main Opposition party. The 2017 march was timed for the next election.
In his record-setting march, Jagan covered 13 districts (now divided into 26), 134 Assembly segments spread over 2,516 villages, and addressed 124 public meetings and 55 community meetings. YSRCP leaders claim Jagan met at least 2 crore people during this padyatra.
Before Jagan’s yatra, YSR held the record for a long march in Andhra – having walked 1,500 km in 60 days, starting April 2003, which in turn saw him into the CM’s chair in the 2004 elections.
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Even TDP chief and now Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu had embarked on a padyatra in 2012, covering nearly 2,000 km in then undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Just days ago, on January 27, his son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh Naidu set off on a 4,000-km padyatra, from Kuppam in Chittoor district. Lokesh’s ‘Yuva Galam (voice of youth)’ march aims to cover 125 Assembly constituencies in 400 days, ending at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam on the Odisha border – just like Jagan did four years ago.
Even the BJP has emulated the parties in the region as it seeks to make its mark in Telangana. State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar started his Praja Sangrama Yatra in August 2021, and has so far completed four phases covering over 44 Assembly constituencies and clocking over 1,200 km.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
