Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' enters Maharashtra; Rahul to address rallies on November 10 and 18

Two months after its launch the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday night entered Maharashtra where he will address two rallies as part of the crosscountry march aimed at reviving the partyThe 3570kmlong yatra a mass outreach initiative which began on September 7 from Kanniyakumari Tamil Nadu reached Deglur in central Maharashtras Nanded district from neighbouring Telangana on the 61st day of its launchTop Maharashtra Congress leaders including the partys state unit chief Nana Patole and former minister Balasaheb Thorat welcomed the yatraGandhi will address two rallies during his yatra in Maharashtra the first on November 10 in Nanded district and the second one on November 18 at Shegaon in Buldhana district as per the schedule shared by the CongressThe march led by the Wayanad Lok Sabha MP will traverse through 15 Assembly and 6 parliamentary constituencies in the state where the Congress was part of the ruling coalition till June this year during its 14day sojourn It will cover a distance of 382 kms across five districts before entering Madhya Pradesh on November 20Also read Three held for attacking cop in Nalasopara prime suspect on the runThe partys state unit welcomed yatra participants at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Kalamandir in Deglur The yatra will proceed through Nanded district for four days and enter Hingoli district on November 11 Washim on November 15 Akola on November 16 and Buldhana on November 18 according to the scheduleThe Congress has invited Nationalist Congress Party NCP president Sharad Pawar and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray both allies of the party to take part in the footmarch Pawar had earlier said he would join the yatraHowever senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan has said the participation of Pawar in the yatra in Maharashtra will depend on his health conditionPawar 81 was recently hospitalised in Mumbai for fever and other health issues The NCP chief on Saturday flew to Shirdi from Mumbai with doctors and addressed a party convention briefly in the temple town in Ahmednagar districtTalking to reporters in Nanded on Sunday evening former chief minister Chavan said There seems to be a change in Sharad Pawars programmes I have come to know that he may join the yatra on November 10 but it will depend on his health conditionEarlier in the day Sachin Ahir a legislator of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena said former minister Aaditya Thackeray may join the Maharashtra leg of the 150daylong yatra which will finally culminate in SrinagarThe state Congress leadership wants to highlight the participation of the NCP and the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena faction in the yatra as a show of unity among the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA constituents against the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP which is part of the Eknath Shindeled government in MaharashtraCommenting on the yatra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who holds the home portfolio said necessary measures have been taken for the march in Maharashtra but at the same time took potshots at the Congress over the programmeWe have taken all the necessary steps for smooth passage through Maharashtra It is not a Bharat Jodo Yatra but Modi Hatao yatra and they will never succeed in their goal said the BJP leaderThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever