Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh is set to conclude a week earlier than planned, with the UP leg being curtailed by a few days, The Indian Express learned.

The yatra, originally scheduled for an 11-day duration in the politically significant state with 80 Lok Sabha seats, was supposed to pass through 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat Varanasi, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Allahabad, Phulpur, and Lucknow.

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However, the modified route will skip most western UP districts, travelling directly from Lucknow to Aligarh and then to Agra before entering Madhya Pradesh.

The development comes amid speculations that the INDIA bloc partner Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), known for its strong presence in western UP, is in discussions with the BJP to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

However, sources within Congress claim that the decision to curtail the yatra in UP is unrelated to the political developments involving the RLD. A party leader stated, “We wanted to slow down the yatra to ensure that Rahul Gandhi gets time for interactions with groups on the way,” according to The Indian Express.

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The yatra, initially expected to conclude in Mumbai by March 20, may now end between March 10 and 14, at least a week earlier than planned. This adjustment provides more time for Rahul Gandhi to focus on campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Sources suggest that All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has not yet participated in the yatra that will complete a month on February 14, might appear when it enters UP.

Additionally, sources reveal that the INDIA bloc has decided to organise its first joint rally later this month in Karnataka. The alliance is currently facing upheaval following the exit of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), along with the decisions of the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to contest alone in West Bengal and Punjab.

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The possible exit of RLD will further complicate the situation. The Congress also plans to extend invitations to all its INDIA partners for a rally marking the culmination of the yatra in Mumbai next month.

Meanwhile, the yatra, which had initially entered Chhattisgarh at the Rengarpali check post in the Raigarh district on the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border last Thursday, restarted in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district on Sunday after a two-day break. A large gathering of Congress leaders and supporters gathered at the square to follow Gandhi, who was in an open jeep alongside state Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot, state party chief Dipak Baij, and Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant.