The second leg of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra will start from Gujarat and will culminate in Meghalaya, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said on Tuesday.
"When Rahul Gandhi will start his journey, then the Maharashtra Congress will also start a padyatra in the whole of Maharashtra. I will personally lead the padayatra in Vidarbha. Vijay Wadettiwar will lead the padayatra in West Vidarbha. Balasaheb Thorat will lead the Pad Yatra in North Maharashtra. Ashok Chavan in Marathwada and Prithviraj Chavan in West Maharashtra, Varsha Gaikwad in Mumbai and all leaders in Konkan will end the padayatra. After the padyatra, we will start the bus journey. In bus journey also, we will roam all over Maharashtra, hold meetings, talk to the people, bring the shortcomings of the central and state government to the people and this will bring a big change in Maharashtra in the coming times," Nana Patole said.
Earlier sources had told ABP Live that the second phase of Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is likely to begin in September. The first leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress was aimed to connect with the people of India at the ground level, understand their concerns, and garner support for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During the first phase of the yatra, Rahul Gandhi travelled across 14 states on foot for over 150 days.
Several prominent personalities, such as actors Amol Palekar, Riya Sen, and Swara Bhaskar, former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan, former Research and Analysis Wing chief A S Dulat, from diverse fields joined Rahul Gandhi along the way in different states. Rahul Gandhi covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir during the first leg of the Yatra.
The first stage of Bharat Jodo Yatra began in September of last year and ended in Kashmir. It lasted over 130 days and included 12 states and two Union Territories. However, details concerning the new route and associated dates have yet to be decided.
Earlier on Monday, the Gujarat Congress claimed that it has issued an invitation to the freshly reinstated MP to begin his tour from the "land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel."
Speaking with media, State Leader of Opposition Amit Chavda stated: "The second phase should begin from the state. A committee has been formed at the central level to chalk out the second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra. Details are being finalised. Many state units have made similar or other suggestions for the second phase of the padyatra."