Update (27 January 2025): On 26 January 2025, Akhilesh Yadav participated in the Maha Kumbh Mela. He shared photos on his ‘X’ account, mentioning that he took a holy dip at the Prayagraj’s Triveni Sangam.
Amid the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, where many prominent leaders are attending the event (here, here and here), photos (here, here and here) of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav taking a dip in a river have gone viral on social media, with claims that he attended the mela in the night. Let’s uncover the truth behind these photos.
Claim: Photos of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav taking a holy dip at the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Fact: The photos show Akhilesh Yadav taking a bath in the river is from Haridwar, not the Maha Kumbh Mela. He posted these images on his ‘X’ account on 14 January 2025. As of 21 January 2025, there are no news reports of him participating in the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
To verify the claim, we conducted a reverse image search to locate the photos from the viral post. Our search revealed that these photos were originally shared on Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘X’ account on 15 January 2025. The caption, written in Hindi, translates to: ‘Took blessings of Mother Ganga on the sacred festival of Makar Sankranti.’
Further research led us to several reports (here, here and here) stating that on 15 January 2025 morning, Akhilesh Yadav, along with his family, performed pooja-archana at the Namami Gange Ghat, paid tribute to his late uncle, and immersed his ashes in the Ganga. A day earlier, on 14 January, Akhilesh shared three pictures on social media of himself bathing in the river.
The Maha Kumbh Mela began on 13 January 2025 and will continue until 26 February 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, with many prominent leaders among the attendees (here, here and here). However, the viral photos of Akhilesh Yadav are unrelated to the Maha Kumbh Mela, as they were taken during his visit to Haridwar, Uttarakhand, and not Prayagraj. Additionally, as of the time of writing this article (21 January 2025), there have been no news reports of Akhilesh Yadav participating in this year’s Maha Kumbh Mela.
To sum up, an unrelated photo of Akhilesh Yadav from Haridwar has been falsely shared as being from the Maha Kumbh Mela.
