Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav will attend Shrimad Bhagwat Katha in Ayodhya on October 8. The week-long religious programme is organised by former MLA and party leader Tej Narayan Pandey, as political activity gathers pace ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Yadav is scheduled to spend about an hour at the programme in Krishnaapur-Khanpur Rasoolabad, where he will attend the concluding session of the Bhagwat Katha. The SP chief is also expected to offer prayers and interact with devotees attending the gathering. The party’s current programme does not include a visit to the Ram temple.
The visit comes at a politically relevant time for the SP in Ayodhya. The party has already announced Pandey, popularly known as Pawan Pandey, as its candidate from the Ayodhya assembly constituency for the 2027 polls. Akhilesh had announced his candidature at a party Brahmin conference.
Pandey, a former Ayodhya MLA, is organising the eight-day Shrimad Bhagwat Katha Gyan Yagya at his ancestral residence in Krishnaapur. The programme began on October 2 and includes religious discourses on the life and teachings of Lord Krishna.
Pandey said devotees from across Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country were expected to attend the concluding programme on October 8.
“Devotees of Shri Krishna from across the state and the country will come to listen to the concluding discourses on Lord Krishna and participate in the feast,” Pandey said. “Arrangements have been made for them on more than 10 bighas of land,” he said.
Pandey said Akhilesh would attend the programme at his invitation.
The SP chief has in recent months raised issues concerning Ayodhya, including the controversy over the alleged theft of offerings at the Ram temple.
