A video (here and here) showing Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav attending an Iftar —offering prayers and sharing a meal—is going viral on social media. Users are claiming that although he is seen attending Iftar gatherings, he did not participate in the Kumbh Mela when it was held. Let’s verify the truth behind this claim.
Claim: Akhilesh Yadav attended Iftar parties but did not visit the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Fact: Akhilesh Yadav attended both the Iftar party in Lucknow and the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. He visited the Kumbh on 26 January 2025, took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam, and shared photos from the event on his official X account, confirming his presence. Hence the claim is FALSE
To verify the claim, we performed a reverse image search on Google and found that the viral video was uploaded on 29 March 2025 by News24. The video was titled, “UP: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav attended Iftar party in Lucknow“
We also found several news reports (here, here and here) confirming that on 29 March 2025, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav attended an Iftar gathering in Lucknow. The event was organised by SP’s national spokesperson, Haider Abbas, on the 28th day of Ramadan at a private hotel. A large number of SP leaders, social workers, and Muslim religious figures participated in the event.
We verified that the viral video is indeed from an Iftar party held in Lucknow. To verify the second part of the claim — that Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the Kumbh Mela — we conducted a keyword search and found multiple credible news reports (here, here and here) and YouTube videos confirming that the Samajwadi Party chief visited the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on 26 January 2025. He took a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam, garlanded a statue of Mulayam Singh Yadav at the Mela site, and was accompanied by several SP leaders and workers. Speaking to the media, he emphasised the importance of harmony and tolerance at religious events and criticised the government’s inadequate arrangements for elderly pilgrims. We have found several YouTube reports (here and here) on the same as well.
We have also found that Akhilesh Yadav himself posted photos of his visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on 26 January 2025. In the caption, he mentioned taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam and shared a message promoting harmony, goodwill, and spiritual reflection during the sacred event. This further confirms that the viral claim is false.
To sum up, the claim that Akhilesh Yadav attended Iftar parties but did not attend the Maha Kumbh Mela is false.
