Lucknow, Oct 16 (TIWN): With one-fourth of his 150-day mission complete, it may be too early to predict the results of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The Yatra has so far proved to be a great photo opportunity for him as well as the people who are joining him, which has created quite a stir on social media. Whether it is the hugs, chit-chat or holding little children in arms, or walking undeterred by the rain, or climbing atop an 80-foot overhead tank to wave the national flag, or simply standing in a group, the pictures are going viral.  The most talked about picture, of course, was his tying the shoelaces of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, when she joined him in the Karnataka leg.  But then, viral pictures are never the barometer of political achievements. Even the crowds that join a rally or follow a Yatra cannot vouch for political success, which, in our democracy, is all about the 'right' click on the EVM.  For the right click, the leader or the political party has to get immersed among the people 24x7, aggressively strike on issues and follow up with equal enthusiasm, and never stay away, come what may.  With Rahul Gandhi, the public perception of him being the perennial non-striker continues to persist. He joined politics in 2004 and since then the Congress has been shrinking all over the country. Today, its presence is almost negligible in Uttar Pradesh, which was once the pillar of the party, and the situation in other states, except in the south, is not very different. The party's declining fortunes have been further aggravated by desertions of veterans and cadres.  Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra also comes at a time when he and his mother are facing the heat of the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case. To beat the heat, the Yatra was an idea to go to the people and tell the party cadre that the party is very much around, and the Gandhis can connect.