The first phase of the yatra in West Bengal concluded on Monday, as it stepped into Bihar from Islampur. It will re-enter West Bengal through Debipur, Ratua in Malda district in the northern part of the state around 11.15 am, party leaders said.

After the handover of the flag, the yatra will resume from Ratua stadium and move towards Sujapur, where Gandhi will address people before a night halt. On February 1, it will enter Murshidabad before exiting the state the next day.

Covering 523 km across six West Bengal districts so far, the yatra has traversed Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Uttar Dinajpur, with Malda and Murshidabad slated for the second phase, they said. The journey through North Bengal, once a Congress stronghold, witnessed enthusiastic reception, as Gandhi interacted with locals along the route.

Encountering obstacles akin to those faced in BJP-ruled states like Assam and Manipur, the Congress encountered challenges in securing permission for public meetings and lodging arrangements in Jalpaiguri, Malda and Murshidabad districts of TMC-ruled Bengal, still its ally at the national level, the leaders said.

The ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, which started in Manipur on January 14, is scheduled to cover 6,713 km in 67 days, while passing through 110 districts in 15 states, before culminating in Mumbai on March 20.