The Bharat Jodo Yatra ended on Monday with a grand finale of a rally to which 21 political parties were invited to join. The Rahul Gandhi-led foot rally, which began on September 7, 2022, completed its 3,500 km journey today in 145 days.

At the concluding event today, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will hoisted the national flag at the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters in Srinagar and will also unveiled a memorial for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The final rally will take place thereafter at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium.

Gandhi had also unfurled the national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Sunday to mark the end of the 4-month-long yatra which covered 12 states and two Union territories.

The Congress had invited 21 "like-minded parties" to the finale event of the Bharat Jodo Yatra today. However, some parties — such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) — reportedly dropped out due to security concerns.

Twelve opposition parties agreed to join today's function. Here's a list of them:

• Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)

• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

• Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)

• Janata Dal (United) (JD(U))

• Shiv Sena-UBT

• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))

• Communist Party of India (CPI)

• Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)

• Kerala Congress

• Jammu & Kashmir National Conference

• Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP)

• Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)

According to news reports, opposition groups such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (LRD), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM-S), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), KSM and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) were also invited.

These parties, however, didn't receive such invitations: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Biju Janata Dal (BJP), All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIIMM) and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).

Kharge reportedly wrote personal letters to invite leaders of opposition parties to the unity march's finale event.

With agency inputs

First Published:Jan 30, 2023 10:09 AM IST