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Akhilesh Yadav to join Congress yatra in Agra on February 25
As the Congress has said that its national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will also join the yatra during its Moradabad to Agra phase, all three—Akhilesh, Rahul, and Priyanka — are likely to be seen together.
A day after the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress announced their seat-sharing pact for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday once again invited SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to join the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi.
Akhilesh Yadav will join the yatra at 2pm on February 25 in Agra, the SP said after receiving the invite.
Speaking to reporters in Muzaffarnagar, Akhilesh Yadav confirmed he will participate in the yatra in Agra.
He also said a detailed programme will be prepared by the time the Congress yatra reaches Agra.
As the Congress has said that its national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will also join the yatra during its Moradabad to Agra phase, all three—Akhilesh, Rahul, and Priyanka — are likely to be seen together.
A U.P. Congress delegation led by its state president Ajay Rai and senior leader PL Punia went to the SP state headquarters with Kharge’s invite to Akhilesh on Thursday. As Akhilesh Yadav was not in town, the delegation met SP national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary and former MLC Udaiveer Singh, one of the SP’s negotiators during the seat-sharing talks.
“I have received the letter as Akhilesh Yadavji is not in Lucknow,” Rajendra Chaudhury said and added: “He (Akhilesh) will join the yatra in Agra at 2pm on February 25.”
The two INDIA bloc allies on Wednesday announced the seat-sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha polls, according to which the Congress will contest 17 and the SP 63 out of the 80 seats in the state. Also, the two parties announced that Samajwadi Party will contest one seat in Madhya Pradesh—Khajuraho .
This is not the first time that Kharge has invited Akhilesh to join the yatra. Before this, on February 6, he invited Akhilesh to join the yatra and the SP chief accepted it. Subsequently, the SP formally announced that Akhilesh will join either in Amethi or Rae Bareli. However, on February 19, when the yatra entered Amethi, Akhilesh said: “The SP will join the yatra only after the seat-sharing between the two parties is finalised.”
The comment caused a flutter as it put a question mark on the fate of the alliance.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, Akhilesh said that the alliance will happen. By the evening, both the parties held a joint press conference, announcing the alliance.
The Agra seat will be contested by the Samajwadi Party under the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties.
