New Delhi: Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi will join the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka today as it resumes after two days of rest due to Dussehra. Gandhi, who reached Mysuru on Monday, will participate in the Yatra for the first time since it began when she was abroad for a medical check-up.
Sonia Gandhi will walk with the participants on October 6 during the Karnataka leg of the Yatra, according to a party source, reported news agency PTI. It will be after a long time that Gandhi will participate in a public event organised by the party where a large number of Congress workers are participating. The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered the 26th day of its almost five-month journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The Yatra, which is passing through a BJP-ruled state for the first time has entered a crucial phase ahead of the Assembly polls next year.
The Karnataka leg of the foot march began on Friday when the party’s national leader Rahul Gandhi entered the state via Gundlupet in Chamarajanagar district bordering Kerala.
This will be the first time all three Gandhis will be at Bharat Jodo Yatra.
In Karnataka, the march will cover Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Ballari and Raichur districts.
From Raichur the march will enter Telangana. Before exiting the state via Raichur, a massive public rally has been planned in Ballari on October 19, according to news agency ANI. Rahul Gandhi will undertake the entire 3,570 km Yatra. The Yatra will pass through Karnataka for 21 days covering 511 km in the state where BJP is in power. It entered Karnataka after passing through Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Besides Gandhi, senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is one of the top contenders for the Congress chief post, will also join the march on Thursday.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is expected to join the foot march on October 7. Rahul Gandhi, who launched the Yatra from Kanyakumari last month, has been walking continuously in the march and reached Karnataka on September 30. The yatra will conclude in Kashmir early next year. A total distance of 3570 kms will be covered in this journey.