In the current Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has significantly outpaced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in terms of the number of public meetings and rallies held. According to an analysis by India Today, between March 31 and May 18, PM Modi conducted 120 election rallies across 22 states and Union Territories, while Rahul Gandhi attended 60 rallies in 16 states and Union Territories during the same timeframe.
PM Modi has concentrated his campaign efforts on Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, with numerous rallies in each state, and also held rallies in Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Odisha. In contrast, Rahul Gandhi has focused his campaign on southern states, with significant rallies in Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and also in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
The phase-wise comparison shows that PM Modi consistently held more rallies than Rahul Gandhi. In the first phase, Modi held 31 rallies compared to Rahul's 21; in the second phase, 16 to Rahul's 8; in the third phase, 36 to Rahul's 12; in the fourth phase, 17 to Rahul's 10; and in the fifth phase, 20 to Rahul's 9.
Amit Shah held public rallies in 22 states and Union Territories, while Priyanka Gandhi concentrated on 12 territories, primarily in Amethi and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, with a majority of her meetings in these two constituencies.
The election discourse has seen PM Modi emphasize topics such as Ram Mandir, development, fishermen's welfare, Sanatan pride, nationalism, national security, and criticism of the Opposition's appeasement politics. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has focused on issues like caste-based census, Tribal and Dalit rights, unemployment, farmer debt, and alleged undue favors to industrialists. He has also raised concerns about the potential scrapping of the Constitution and reservations for marginalized communities.
This analysis highlights PM Modi's extensive and intense campaign efforts compared to Rahul Gandhi's more targeted and focused approach.
