Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 likely in January 2024 before Lok Sabha polls

The grand old Congress is looking at the possibility of lauching the second phase of public outreach rally Bharat Jodo Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, in January 2024. The Congress is considering to launch the public outreach rally after the first week of January 2024 before the Lok Sabha elections.

The second iteration of the public outreach rally-- Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0-- will be in hybrid mode. This implies that those participating in the rally will march on foot as well as use vehicles. Two routes are being considered for this Yatra. If finalised, the Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 is expected to begin from a Northeastern state, said sources.

A senior Congress leader said that the focus of this Yatra would be on Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra. The party is also looking at including prominent faces from opposition given that the Yatra will likely be conducted in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections, sources further said.

Similar to the first Yatra, several public meetings by Rahul Gandhi are also being planned this time around as well. The Yatra is likely to find a mention during the Congress Working Group meeting on December 21.

Rahul Gandhi had underwent the first iteration of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir from September 7, 2022 to January 30 this year. The primary objective of this Yatra was to unite India against the divisive politics of the ruling party. It was also aimed at addressing other issues like unemployment and inequality.

Gandhi covered a distance of around 4,080 kilometres when the Yatra concluded in Srinagar in January this year. The Bharat Jodo Yatra was India's longest foot march as the Yatra had passed through 75 districts across 12 states in 136 days.

It received overwhelming response from the public and eminent professionals from all walks of life.

The Yatra also saw participation of personalities such as former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, ex-Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram, former Army Chief General (Retd) Deepak Kapoor, Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan, Pooja Bhatt, and Amol Palekar.

Opposition leaders including Mehbooba Mufti, Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Supriya Sule also walked alongside Rahul Gandhi at various points of time during the march.

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