Mayawati & Akhilesh May Stay Away from Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

New Delhi: Despite invitation from Rahul Gandhi, key opposition leaders of Uttar Pradesh like Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav are not expected to ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to be taken up in UP in the first week of January.

The Congress had invited Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary to take part in the Rahul Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

According to sources, Akhilesh may not take part in it. It is not yet clear if some others from his party will join the yatra. As per the report by NDTV, the RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary will not attend ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra because of his other engagements.

Mayawati has been fiercely critical of Congress in the recent past. During the 2022 elections, she had said supporting the Congress will only lead to a split in anti-BJP votes. So, it is unlikely for her to join the Rahul Gandhi-led march.

Samajwadi Party and its ally RLD are too cautious regarding their relationship with Congress before the 2024 general election. In 2017 UP assembly polls alliance with the Congress had not brought in much success for the Samajwadi Party. In 2022 the Samajwadi Party fought alone in UP and came up with a better performance.