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Biramitrapur, a small industrial town in Sundergarh district through which the yatra will enter the state from Jharkhand, has been decked up with banners, cut-outs and hoardings of Gandhi.
Senior state Congress leaders have gathered in Rourkela steel city, around 35 km from Biramitrapur, and there is a palpable enthusiasm among the people to have a glimpse of Rahul Gandhi, who is referred to as ”former PM Indira Gandhi’s grandson” by locals, the party’s Sundergarh district president Rashmi Padhee said.
Although the Biramitrapur assembly seat is now represented by the BJP, it had earlier elected Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidates.
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After according a grand welcome to him, the state Congress will take charge of the yatra. It will move for around 10 km before a night halt in the Bija Bahal area.
The next day, Gandhi will resume his yatra and undertake a 3.4-km-long padayatra from Uditnagar to Panposh Chhak in Rourkela city, a Congress statement said.
He is scheduled to address the public at Panposh Chhak, before taking a lunch break at Bisra Munda Ground at Ranibandh, it said.
According to his schedule, thereafter he will resume his yatra from Ranibandh and address a rally at Rajgangpur.
He will undertake another padayatra in Sundergarh town, following which he will address another public meeting, before retiring for the night at Amlipali Ground in Jharsuguda.
On February 8, Gandhi will resume his yatra from Old Bus Stand in Jharsuguda and later address a rally. After lunch, he will resume his yatra from Kanaktora in Jharsuguda and then enter Chhattisgarh.
In Odisha, the yatra will cover around 200 km in the two western districts of Sundergarh and Jharsuguda.
The yatra, which began in Manipur on January 14, will conclude in Mumbai on March 20, covering about 15 states.