Akhilesh Yadav, Jayant Chaudhary unlikely to attend Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh

The BSP is still waiting for the Congress invitation for the Yatra and any call on participation in it will be taken by party president Mayawati

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is unlikely to take part in the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, an SP leader said on Tuesday, while other non-BJP leaders who have also been invited are yet to take a call.

Congress has said it has invited several leaders of non-BJP parties, including Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary, to take part in the Uttar Pradesh leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from January 3.

However, SP president Akhilesh Yadav and ally RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary are unlikely to participate in the Yatra due to "preoccupation" with their party programmes, their party leaders said.

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"The schedule of SP president Akhilesh Yadav related to party programmes has already been decided and he is unlikely to attend the Yatra," SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary told PTI.

There had also been no discussion in this regard in the party, Mr. Chaudhary said when asked if any other leader of the party would be participating in the Yatra.

In a similar vein, RLD chief spokesman Anil Dubey said,"I do not think that Jayantji will be going for the yatra." He is preoccupied with party programmes which have already been planned, Dubey said, adding that the decision on whether any other leader of the party will participate in the Yatra will be taken by the party president.