Congress candidate from Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav were forced to cut short their public meeting in Prayagraj’s Phulpur constituency due to a chaotic situation that ensued as the crowd became uncontrollable, broke through the barricades, and surged towards the dais, creating a near-stampede like situation.
Both leaders left the rally without addressing the public of the Phulpur constituency on Sunday. Notably, the campaign rally was organised to support Amarnath Maurya, the SP candidate contesting for the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.
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Workers from both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party became uncontrollable, attempting to reach the stage to get closer to Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. The police struggled to manage the enthusiastic crowd that breached the barricades.
A video clip shared on the official social media handles of both parties captured individuals on the stage urging the supporters to step back, but their appeals went ignored.
Voting for the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat is scheduled for May 25 during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The Samajwadi Party (SP) is contesting this seat in alliance with Congress under a 63:17 seat-sharing formula.
In Phulpur, the SP has fielded Amarnath Maurya, who will compete against the BJP’s Praveen Patel.
After the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election concluded, Samajwadi Party chief and Kannauj Lok Sabha candidate Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence in victory. He stated that people are supporting the INDIA bloc because they feel “cheated by the BJP.” “INDIA alliance will win. The people are supporting the INDIA alliance. The people feel cheated by the BJP,” he said.
Polling for the Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh is being held across all seven phases. Voting in the first four phases has already been completed, with the remaining phases scheduled for May 20, May 25, and June 1.
The counting of votes for all phases is set for June 4. In the 2019 polls, the BJP dominated the state, winning 62 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, while its ally Apna Dal (S) secured two additional seats.
Mayawati’s BSP managed to win 10 seats, while her then-alliance partner, Akhilesh Yadav’s SP, had to settle for just 5 seats. The Congress won only one seat in the state. In the 2014 elections, the BJP swept Uttar Pradesh, winning 71 seats, while the Congress managed to secure only 2.