Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to extend the duration of the Maha Kumbh, citing the overwhelming number of devotees on the roads still hoping to attend. Mr Yadav claimed that in previous years, the Maha Kumbh and Kumbh Mela lasted for 75 days, whereas the current schedule is shorter. 

“Even now, many people want to go to Maha Kumbh but cannot. In such a situation, the government should extend the time limit of Maha Kumbh,” Mr Yadav said.

Visuals on social media show packed trains, congested roads and massive crowds all heading to the Maha Kumbh. Earlier this week, roads leading to the Maha Kumbh Mela witnessed severe traffic congestion stretching for kilometres. The Prayagraj Sangam railway station was forced to shut down temporarily due to the overwhelming crowd.

Mr Yadav also accused the state government of concealing the true number of deaths caused by a stampede at the Maha Kumbh last month. 

The Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest spiritual gathering, began on January 13 and is set to conclude on February 26, coinciding with Maha Shivaratri. According to state government data, over 50 crore people have taken holy dip at the Sangam till Friday evening – which is more than the combined population of Russia and the United States. 

Over 92 lakh had taken a dip till 6 pm on Friday alone, pushing the overall footfall at Maha Kumbh past 50 crore (till February 14), the state government said.