Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress Presidential Candidate Mallikarjun Kharge joins Rahul Gandhi in Karnataka

Congress Presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge has joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra and was seen walking along with Rahul Gandhi in Karnataka.

New Delhi: Congress presidential poll candidate, Mallikarjun Kharge, was seen at the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Saturday with Rahul Gandhi in the Ballari district of Karnataka. During the march, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel was also seen along with them. 

The veteran leader Kharge filed his nomination for Congress president on September 30. He currently running against Shashi Tharoor after Digvijaya Singh and Ashok Gehlot pulled out. The election is scheduled to be held on October 17.

Tharoor on Thursday said he has been facing differential treatment from the party leaders as against his opponent Mallikarjun Kharge, according to ANI.

On his "uneven playing field" remark, Congress presidential candidate Tharoor said, "...In several PCCs, leaders welcomed and met Kharge Sahab. The same was not done for me. I visited PCCs but PCC chiefs were not available. I am not complaining, but do you not see a difference in treatment?", as per ANI. 

However, during the press conference, he said that there is no enmity, "We are contesting elections. There is no spirit of enmity in our party. Kharge Sahab is my senior leader and I have worked closely with him. The election is about two colleagues seeing how to work to strengthen the party."

Similarly, Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that there are no differences between them. "...We are brothers. Someone can speak in a different manner. I can do it in a different way. There are no differences between us... Shashi Tharoor and I are from the same family that is Congress", ANI reported

In celebration of marking the 1,000-km milestone of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi will address a mega public meeting in Ballari in poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday. Top Congress leaders, including Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan chief ministers Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah, Kamal Nath, Selja Kumari, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Digvijaya Singh will attend the event in Ballari.

Leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi has so far covered four states -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

On Saturday morning, hundreds of people lined up on both sides of the road to greet Gandhi as his caravan moved ahead amidst drumbeats and sloganeering.