After the kisan panchayats and whirlwind tour of western Uttar Pradesh, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will now shift her focus to the east. From Monday, Priyanka will take part in 'Nadi Adhikar Yatra' in support of Nishads, the fishermen community.

The 20-day-long campaign will see Priyanka interacting with fishermen across eight major towns in eastern UP, party sources disclosed.

Priyanka Gandhi will, however, not join the yatra on the inaugural day as she will be campaigning in Assam on March 1 and 2. 

UP congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would launch the 'Nadi Adhikar Yatra' in support of the Nishad community (OBC) in eastern Uttar Pradesh. "She will begin her yatra from Prayagraj and will conclude it in Ballia while covering Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Varanasi, Chandausi and Ghazipur," he added.

Congress leaders from Chhattisgarh and other states are also likely to participate in the 20-day-long yatra.

Last week, the Congress general secretary had visited Prayagraj to support the boatmen who were allegedly harassed by the local police. During an earlier visit to Prayagraj, she took a holy dip at the Sangam and even rowed a boat for some time on her way back.

In a series of tweets, she said the fishermen community had a primary right over river resources and demanded that the UP government investigate the illegal sand mining being done by big companies.

Nishads are a riverine community having a sizable population in Kaushambi, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar and Maharajganj. They belong to the OBC category and their support for the 2022 assembly elections is being seen as crucial by political parties.

The announcement of the 'Nadi Adhikar Yatra' comes close on the heels of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressing a slew of kisan mahapanchayats in western UP, where she said the Congress would continue to fight for the cause of farmers till the "anti-farmer" laws were repealed.

During the mahapanchayats in Rampur, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar and Mathura, which saw large crowds, Priyanka Vadra also highlighted the issue of pending dues of sugarcane farmers as well as rallied in support of potato farmers.

With Priyanka Vadra hitting the ground in Uttar Pradesh, sources said it would help Congress overcome criticism that it was only active on social media, besides reviving its fortunes in the Hindi heartland.

With panchayat elections due in two months and UP going to polls next year, sources said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's kisan panchayats and 'Nadi Adhikar Yatra' would lay the foundation of the party's campaign in the state.

Congress is hopeful that the twin moves will help it garner the support of farming communities and build its base among the OBC in Uttar Pradesh.