Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav Abandon Joint Rally Without Giving Speeches As Unruly Crowd Creates 'Stampede-Like' Situation

Rahul Gandhi of the Congress and Akhilesh Yadav, National President of the Samajwadi Party, were compelled to abandon a joint election meeting in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh, today (20 May) without delivering their speeches due to an unruly crowd as per a report by NDTV.

According to the same report, supporters broke through barricades to reach the dais at the INDI Alliance rally held at Padila Mahadev.

The disturbance occurred when Samajwadi Party supporters surged forward as Akhilesh Yadav arrived, creating a "stampede-like" situation, according to unnamed police sources cited by the Press Trust of India.

Congress leader Rewati Raman Singh attributed the chaos to the large size of the crowd and inadequate police presence.

"The crowd had become too large, and there weren't enough police officers, which caused the crowd to become uncontrollable and rush the stage. As a result, Akhilesh Ji and Rahul Ji had to leave without giving their speeches," Singh told news agency ANI.

Security officers advised the two leaders to leave the venue due to the situation.

Rewati Raman Singh’s son, Ujjwal Raman Singh, is the Congress candidate from Prayagraj. He is running against BJP's Neeraj Tripathi, the son of senior leader Keshari Nath Tripathi.

Polling in the constituency is scheduled for the sixth phase of the ongoing elections on 25 May.