After completing the initial leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday commenced the second phase of his journey, marked by the formal handover of the national flag from the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee to their counterpart.

The flag handover ceremony took place at Sivasagar in Upper Assam, in the presence of Gandhi and other senior party leaders.

Starting from Sivasagar today, the eight-day yatra will traverse nearly 17 districts of Assam, covering a distance of 833 km. The inaugural day will feature roadshows in Amguri and Mariani, both located in the Sivasagar district, with the entourage resting for the night in Jorhat.

The subsequent route will lead the yatra to Majuli, the largest river island, where Gandhi will conduct a roadshow and visit Kamalabari and Aunati sattras, along with Jengraimukh and Dhaukuakhan. The day will conclude with a halt at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district.

On January 20, the yatra will progress to Lakhimpur, featuring roadshows in Lakhimpur town, Laluk, Harmati, and Nowboicha, before entering Arunachal Pradesh for an overnight stay in Itanagar. Re-entering Assam at Gohpur the next day, roadshows will be held in Bishwanath and Sonitpur districts before reaching Nagaon district for an overnight stay at Rupohi.

The yatra will then proceed to Batadrava, the birthplace of Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva, with a roadshow and meeting in the area. The journey will culminate in Nongpho in Meghalaya, featuring a scheduled public meeting and an overnight stay.

Anticipated to reach Guwahati on January 23, covering Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup (Rural) districts without public gatherings, the same day will include a street corner meeting in Nalbari district, followed by an overnight stay in Barpeta.

Continuing from Barpeta to Bongaigaon, North Salmara, and Dhubri, the yatra will have overnight stay in Gauripur. A public meeting is scheduled in Gauripur before the yatra proceeds through different areas, ultimately reaching Sagolia at Boxirhat along the Assam-Bengal border, entering West Bengal.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the cancellation of his pre-scheduled programmes in Upper Assam to prevent potential clashes with the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the region. Sarma clarified that the yatra coincided with pre-declared welfare dates, dismissing allegations of clashes with a newly-announced scheme’s form-distribution schedule. He emphasised cancelling his Majuli programme today to avoid inconveniencing the district administration.