The Congress’s Kanyakumari to Kashmir ‘Bharat Jodo’ Yatra saw a new political participant on Friday as former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray joined Rahul Gandhi in the Hingoli district of the state for a foot-march. Along with Aaditya Thackeray, his party colleagues – leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve, and former MLA Sachin Ahir – were also seen walking alongside the former Congress chief.
During the foot march, Thackeray was seen waving at people assembled along the route. “Shiv Sena leader, Yuva Sena chief, MLA @AUThackeray who participated in Bharat Jodo Yatra along with @RahulGandhi. Along are Shiv Sena Leaders, Legislative Council Leaders of Opposition @iambadasdanve, Legislative Council MLAs @AhirsachinAhir and many other colleagues and Shiv Sainiks,” Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) tweeted via the official handle.
Rahul Gandhi, who has been leading the campaign, entered Maharashtra via Deglur in Nanded from neighbouring Telangana on Monday night. Veteran Congress leader KC Venugopal, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, Mumbai party chief Bhai Jagtap, Naseem Khan, Vishwajit Kadam, and other party leaders are also participating in the foot march along with Gandhi.
The Congress has also invited Uddhav Thackeray to take part in the march in Maharashtra, reported news agency PTI. Earlier, Nationalist Congress Party leaders Supriya Sule and Jitendra Awhad had taken part in the march. The ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ began on September 7 from Kanyakumari and has so far covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
In Maharashtra, the party workers are set to cover 382 km across five districts and traverse through 15 Assembly and six parliamentary constituencies before entering Madhya Pradesh on November 20.
The party has launched the mass contact programme with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.