Lok Sabha elections 2024: Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav rush out after a stampede-like situation during Prayagraj rally

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav left a public meeting in Prayagraj on Sunday after a stampede-like situation arose during their rally. As the situation led to security threats, the two political leaders left the party rally without addressing the crowd.

The ruckus broke out at a public meeting at Padila in the Phupur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, Congress and SP workers got out of control and even attempted to get on the stage.

Despite repeated appeals by Akhilesh and Rahul, the crowd did not calm down. Police and security personnel struggled to control the excited crowd.

When their appeals failed to cool down the crowd, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav held a brief discussion among themselves and left the venue to avoid any security lapse. Visuals taken from the event showed broken barricades and a swelling crowd.

After the rally in Phulpur, Rahul and Akhilesh arrived at Mungari in Karachhana in the Prayagraj district under the Allahabad parliamentary seat. A similar situation was witnessed at this rally, with an excited crowd breaking the barricades and attempting to reach the stage.

The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024 will take place tomorrow, May 20, where the fate of many key candidates such as Rahul Gandhi, Rajnath Singh, and Smriti Irani will be sealed.

Eight States/Union Territories are going for polls in phase 5 namely - Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

The Uttar Pradesh seats going to polls in this phase are Mohanlalganj (SC), Rae Bareli, Amethi, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi (SC), Barabanki (SC), Faizabad, Kaisarganj, and Gonda.