Bharat Jodo: Prithviraj Chavan to join Rahul’s yatra as it prepares to enter Maharashtra, Uddhav may not
With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra set to enter Maharashtra on Monday night, party leaders and workers have been heading to Nanded where the Wayanad MP will have his first halt. Scores of workers have already pitched their tents in Nanded to prepare the ground for Gandhi’s four-day stay in the district.
Among the top Congress leaders who will be making their presence felt during the yatra is former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is part of the G-23 or group of 23 leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in August 2020 seeking sweeping changes in the party structure. “Yes, I have started for Nanded… Will reach before Rahul Gandhi’s arrival,” Chavan told The Indian Express.
Though he is considered to be among the most important Congress leaders in the state, Chavan had been given the cold shoulder by Rahul Gandhi after his association with the G-23 became clear. “I met him when our group met Sonia Gandhi… But I have not had a one-on-one meeting with him for a long time,” Chavan said.
Besides Chavan, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Nana Patole and several other top leaders will welcome Gandhi when he arrives in Nanded around 7 pm.
Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said, “The Congress’s rank and file will be present in Nanded for the next four days. Several of them from across the state have already landed here.”
Gandhi will cover 382 km on foot during his 14-day Maharashtra yatra, Londhe added. “He will be touring five districts, including Buldhana, Akola, Hingoli and Washim, apart from Nanded… After he arrives this evening at Degloor in Nanded, he will visit the gurudwara,” Londhe said. Gandhi will cover 25 km during each day of the yatra.
Asked whether Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will join the yatra, Londhe said that though a delegation of Congress leaders had last month met and invited him, they have not yet received any confirmation. “We are awaiting confirmation from the Shiv Sena,” Londhe told The Indian Express.
When approached, Manisha Kayande, spokesperson for the Uddhav Thackery-led Sena faction, said, “An announcement in this regard will be made soon.” However, Sena sources said Thackeray will not join the yatra due to health reasons. “But Aditya might join the yatra,” a Sena leader said.
Asked why the yatra has chosen to skip western Maharashtra, a Congress leader said, “It is a vertical yatra… It is not possible to deviate to the other end. From Maharashtra, the yatra will move on to Madhya Pradesh.”
