Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumes 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on 18th day in Kerala

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during party`s `Bharat Jodo Yatra`. Pic/PTI

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi along with party leaders and workers resumed the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Day 18 in Thrissur in Kerala on Sunday.

The Yatra started at 6.30 am from Patturaykkal Junction, Thrissur district. The morning halt time is at 10 am at St Francis Xavier Church. The yatra will again resume at 4 pm from Vadakkamchery bus stop.

The Yatra will finish at 7 at Vettikkattiri and will halt at Jyoti Engineering College, Cheruthuruthi, Thrissur district.

Earlier on Saturday, the Congress resumed its Bharat Jodo Yatra, after a day's break, from Perambra junction in the Thrissur district of Kerala.

Yesterday, workers and people of Thrissur came out in large numbers to support Rahul Gandhi and all the Padyatris as the Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed after a break.

The march aims to cover as many as 12 states in five months.

Also Read: Gujarat: Congress to take out day-long yatra in Saurashtra on Sept 28

From Kerala, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next few days, reaching Karnataka on September 30. It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north. The Padyatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra took a break right before the day of the filing of the nominations for the Congress presidential poll in the national capital which will be concluded on September 30.

Congress' presidential election will be held on October 17 and the election results would be declared on October 19.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday, while confirming his candidature for the upcoming Congress president election, said that Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that "no member of the Gandhi family" would become the next party chief.

"I said earlier that I will request him (Rahul Gandhi) to accept this post when all the Congress Committees are passing resolutions in this regard. He made it clear that no one from the Gandhi family will become the next chief. He said he has decided this due to some reasons, a non-Gandhi family member will become the party chief," Gehlot had said addressing the mediapersons while being a part of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kerala.

Earlier Rahul Gandhi emphasised the "one person, one post" norm and said he believes the commitment to the party's Udaipur declaration would be maintained in the election for the party's topmost post.

Describing the post of Congress president as an "ideological post", Rahul Gandhi had said that the position "represents a set of ideas and belief system and vision of India".

The Congress had decided on a set of organisational reforms during the Udaipur Chintan Shivir held earlier this year. The declaration said that the principle of "one person, one post" should be followed.

Party MP Shashi Tharoor has also given an indication of contesting polls and had met Sonia Gandhi on Monday. He met Congress Central Election Authority chief Madhusudan Mistry on Wednesday.