Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule are expected to welcome the Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' when it arrives in Maharashtra next month, a Congress leader told news agency PTI. The Yatra is expected to enter Maharashtra on November 9.
"Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and his MP daughter Supriya Sule have expressed their desire to welcome the Yatra when it enters Maharashtra. So they may welcome the Yatra when it enters the state on November 9," the Congress leader said.
The leader also said the Congress would hold a rally in Karnataka's Bellary on October 15.
The Yatra will enter Andhra Pradesh on October 18 and will be in the state till October 21. It will then re-enter Karnataka's Raichur. The Yatra will take a two-day Diwali break on October 24 and 25 and re-start on October 26, when it will enter Telangana.
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The Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7 and has completed over 500 km, with Rahul Gandhi along with several Congress leaders walking as 'Bharat Yatris' who will complete the 3,570 km journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, as per the Party's statement.
The official Twitter handle of Congress party tweeted, "Honoured to receive a warm welcome from the people of Hiriyur town in Karnataka. #BharatJodoYatra continues to witness rich culture and traditions of Karnataka en route."
A number of sub-Bharat Jodo Yatras are also being organised in states where the main Yatra does not pass through. A sub-Yatra will begin in Jharkhand on Monday, Odisha on October 31, Assam on November 1, and West Bengal in December, among other states, PTI reported.
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The Congress had invited all like-minded political parties and organisations to participate in the initiative prior to the start of the Yatra.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin was present in Kanyakumari at the start of the Yatra.
The Yatra in Kerala was attended by leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).
Congress sources said some leaders and workers of the Janata Dal (Secular) also participated in the Yatra in Karnataka, PTI reported.
Sources also said during the over one month-long period of the Yatra, Gandhi has interacted with over 500 people individually and in groups during the afternoon halt of the journey.
(With Inputs From PTI)