Congress march in Imphal: What Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra means for India elections 2024

With just months left for India's general election, Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of the opposition Congress party, has embarked on a 6,700km (4,163 miles)-long march across the country.

It comes nearly a year after Mr Gandhi wrapped up a 4,000km-long "unity march" in which he travelled from the country's southern tip in Kanyakumari to Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir in the north.

The journey this time would see him travel from east to west, by bus and on foot. He plans to cover 100 parliamentary constituencies across 110 districts in 15 states, many of them electorally crucial, and finish in Mumbai in 66 days.

On Sunday, Congress flags fluttered in the air as Mr Gandhi addressed a rally that kicked off his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (United India Justice March) in Imphal city, capital of the north-eastern state of Manipur.

Over the past eight months, Manipur has witnessed violent ethnic clashes between its majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands of families displaced by violence.

But on the sunny afternoon, thousands of women cheered as top Congress leaders addressed the crowd amid massive security presence. Among them was Waikhom Ibemma Devi, who reflected on the tough life in the state. "Whenever I go to a relief camp, I feel sad looking at the victims," she said.

"We understand the pain the people of Manipur have been through. And we promise you, we commit to you, that we will bring back what you valued," Mr Gandhi told the gathering.

Many analysts and Congress supporters such as Tehseen Poonawala say last year's unity march had burnished Mr Gandhi's political image, "recharged party workers and gave the Congress organisation, often criticised for being