Didi, you've not lost: Akhilesh Yadav meets Mamata Banerjee after West Bengal election debacle
Mamata Banerjee's meeting with Akhilesh Yadav assumes political significance amid efforts by Opposition parties to recalibrate their strategies after the election results in several states.
Days after her poll drubbing, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at the former's Kolkata residence on Thursday.
Yadav was received by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at the Kalighat residence of the party's supreme leader.
During his meeting with Mamata Banerjee — who was de-seated by the BJP in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections — Yadav reportedly told her, “Didi, you have not lost. What a commendable battle you all have fought.”
What Akhilesh Yadav said
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Akhilesh Yadav met Mamata Banerjee to discuss the post-poll political situation in West Bengal and reiterate support for Opposition unity against the BJP. Yadav reportedly told Banerjee, "Didi, you have not lost. What a commendable battle you all have fought."
The BJP won 207 out of 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal, while Mamata Banerjee's TMC managed to win 80 seats. The BJP recorded a vote share of 45.84%, a significant increase from the previous election.
Mamata Banerjee is refusing to resign as Chief Minister, describing her decision as a "language of protest" against alleged manipulation of election results by the Election Commission. She stated, "I won't resign. Let them dismiss me."
Chandranath Rath was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants who intercepted his vehicle in Madhyamgram. Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants fired at close range before fleeing, suggesting the attack was pre-planned.
Mamata Banerjee alleged that party candidates were "forcefully defeated" and that more than 1,500 TMC offices were "hijacked." She also accused the Election Commission of working at the behest of the BJP and claimed she was "manhandled, assaulted and kicked in the belly."
Mamata Banerjee's TMC managed to win 80 of the 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal, while the BJP won 207 seats, as per the final tally available on the Election Commission's website.
As she lost a state she governed for 15 years, Mamata Banerjee alleged that the election outcome was the result of a conspiracy. She even accused the Election Commission of working at the behest of the BJP and refused to resign as the chief minister, defying post-election result protocol.
Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise that led to the deletion of over 91 lakh voters in Bengal, Yadav told reporters, "A way has been found to destroy democracy in Bengal. No one has probably damaged democracy as much as the BJP has. They can never see a woman rising. Voting has indeed taken place here, but people have voted more under pressure than of their own will."
Why this meeting is important
The meeting with Yadav, therefore, assumes political significance amid efforts by Opposition parties to recalibrate their strategies after the election results in several states.
Mamata Banerjee has vowed to strengthen the INDIA bloc after the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal polls.
Yadav is understood to have discussed the post-poll political situation in West Bengal and reiterated support for Opposition unity against the BJP.
Suvendu's aide shot dead
The meeting also comes on the same day a close aide of BJP leader and CM probable Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead.
On being asked by mediapersons to comment on the incident, Yadav said, “When someone close to a political leader loses their life, when political workers are targeted, and when TMC party offices are attacked and set on fire, the question is: who is responsible for ensuring security?
“The Election Commission and the Union Home Ministry had claimed that lakhs of central security personnel had been deployed. It was said that more than three lakh central forces were sent here and a parallel security structure was created.”
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