With 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' Congress aims to build strong ground level coordination groups ahead of 2024 polls

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will meet local civil society representatives every day during his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', an exercise the party believes would reap benefits in strengthening its presence in areas where it lacks ground level infrastructure ahead of 2024 elections.

Sources said the organisers have identified the organisations that will have structured interactions with Rahul for about 45 minutes in the afternoon.

The organisations will apprise about local situations and the struggles they are involved while exploring the possibility by the party on engaging with it.

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Congress had a dialogue with around 150 civil society organisations last month during which Rahul interacted with them and explained the rationale about the party taking up the yatra. Over 200 civil society representatives earlier this week issued a statement supporting the yatra.

For Congress, sources said the attempt is to build a strong ground level coordination groups ahead of 2024 polls.

Interestingly, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the yatra will be stopped whenever Rahul leaves the yatra to attend other political assignments like campaign. It will resume once Rahul joins. Sources said this would ensure Rahul's continuous engagement with civil society.

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Sources said Rahul is likely to fly to Delhi for a day when Sonia Gandhi returns from abroad after a medical check-up. He may also go to Bengaluru to cast vote in the Congress presidential election if there is voting. He will also be going for campaign rallies in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

As the yatra will be covering only 12 states and two union territories, Congress is also organising marches from states not on the route that will join the main ‘yatra’ with participants carrying soil and water from their place and planting trees as they join the yatra. Programmes titled ‘Bharat ke Ratan’ (meeting with local champions) are also being planned.

Parallel ‘Samvidhan Bachao Yatras’ (Save Constitution Yatras) are also being planned across the country that will join the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' as it enters each state and a copy of the Constitution will be handed over. The party is also planning marches in states outside the yatra route.