Rahul Gandhi, spearheading Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,' made a significant entry into West Bengal from Assam on Thursday morning. State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury extended a warm welcome to Gandhi as the Yatra crossed into West Bengal through Bakshirhat in Cooch Behar district's northern region.
Upon the flag handover ceremony, the Yatra is set to proceed towards Khagrabari Chowk in Cooch Behar, where Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting. The journey will then take him through Tufanganj and Cooch Behar town, with Gandhi conducting a padayatra from Maa Bhawani Chowk in Cooch Behar. The Yatra will subsequently continue by bus at Gokshadanga before an overnight halt in Falakata, Alipurduar district.
After a brief hiatus on January 26-27, the Yatra is scheduled to navigate through Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Uttar Dinajpur, and Darjeeling districts before entering Bihar on January 29. Re-entering West Bengal on January 31 via Malda, it will traverse Murshidabad, Congress stronghold districts, before concluding its state journey on February 1.
Covering 523 km across six districts and six Lok Sabha constituencies, including Darjeeling, Raigunj, North and South Malda, and two in Murshidabad, the Bengal leg of the Yatra spans five days.
This visit marks Rahul Gandhi's first presence in the state since the April-May 2021 assembly polls. The initiation of the Bengal leg comes closely after Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's announcement that her party will independently contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.