What Akhilesh Yadav Said After Meeting with Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata
Lucknow/Kolkata: Following the BJP’s resounding victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections-2026, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav arrived in Kolkata to meet with Mamata Banerjee and boost her morale. In the election results, the BJP secured 207 seats, while the Trinamool Congress was limited to just 80 seats. This marked the first meeting between the two leaders following this political shift. During the meeting held in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee herself walked to the gate to receive Akhilesh Yadav, while Abhishek Banerjee welcomed him with a warm embrace.
Akhilesh Yadav honored Mamata Banerjee by draping a shawl over her shoulders and remarked, “Didi, you have not lost; rather, you have fought this election like a true warrior.”
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the BJP. He stated that "Didi has always been a thorn in the BJP's side" because she represents women—specifically, "half the population." He accused the BJP of harboring a "feudal and patriarchal mindset," asserting that the party does not wish to see women progress.
BJP's brand of politics is inherently divisive and chaotic: Yadav
Akhilesh noted that he had closely observed the Bengal elections, describing the language and attitude adopted during the election campaign as "shocking." He alleged that the BJP had replicated the very same experiment in Bengal that it had initially pioneered in Uttar Pradesh. The SP chief asserted that the BJP's brand of politics is inherently divisive and chaotic, adding that the claims made regarding security arrangements in the post-election period also remain open to scrutiny.
The Samajwadi Party chief also raised questions regarding the impartiality of the Election Commission. He alleged that the EC is working in collusion with the BJP and that the electoral process lacks transparency. Citing the by-elections held in Kundarki and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav claimed that voters there were intimidated and polling agents were forcibly evicted.
Why the electoral process cannot be telecast live: Akhilesh
Issuing a challenge, he asserted that if the Election Commission is truly impartial, the CCTV footage of the voting and vote-counting processes in both Bengal and Kundarki should be made public. Akhilesh argued that if Supreme Court proceedings can be telecast live, there is no reason why the electoral process cannot be subject to similar transparency. The SP chief also raised questions regarding the BJP's vote share in Kundarki, alleging that voting was conducted under duress with the assistance of central forces. He remarked, "If votes are cast under the threat of bullets, then who will emerge victorious in a democracy?" Akhilesh Yadav also took aim at the Central Government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the political violence that occurred in Bengal.