In poll season, Rahul Gandhi, 3 Congress CMs fly cattle class to Patna for rally

In poll season when optics can play a role in influencing voters, political parties often strategise to share photographs to underline that their leaders are closer to the masses.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi shared a photo on Instagram of himself with Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Ahmed Patel flying economy class to Patna sitting in the same row as optics played out in election season.

Twitter /@INCIndia

“On our way to the Congress Rally at the Gandhi Maidan in Bihar, with our new CM’s & Party Treasurer. Tough getting all these gentlemen together on a single row, but we pulled it off!”, the Congress chief captioned the photograph.

The post drew almost 69,000 likes in a few hours while the same picture in Congress party’s Instagram page drew more than 11,000 likes in six hours.

In poll season when optics can play a role in influencing voters, political parties often strategise to share photographs to underline that their leaders are closer to the masses. In Gandhi’s case, it is perhaps even more given his constant attack on the Narendra Modi that he runs government for the rich and the powerful.

Ahead of the general elections, Rahul Gandhi has positioned himself as a leader who listens to the voice of the underprivileged and keeps his promise to them. He has recently been citing the example of the new Congress government in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan which waived off farm loans as promised in the party’s election campaign.

The Congress has again since then tried to position itself as a party that listens to the voice of the people and attacks the BJP for being suit-boot ka sarkar.