NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, extending emotional support to the outgoing chief minister after massive defeat in West Bengal assembly elections. Akhilesh met Mamata and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee at the TMC chief’s residence in Kolkata.“Didi, you have not lost,” Akhilesh was quoted saying by TMC official sources, ANI reported.“During his meeting with Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav told Abhishek, “What a commendable battle you all have fought,” he said.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Akhilesh alleged that the BJP was trying to “snatch away the right to vote of ordinary people, especially those from the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) communities.”“Although this issue is not limited to here, I can say it has also happened in Uttar Pradesh, where they are trying to snatch away the right to vote of ordinary people, especially those from the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) communities. When voting rights are taken away, think about what other rights can be denied. The data is available, showing how the manipulation of voting rights has led to unexpected electoral outcomes. No data has been hidden. For the logical discrepancies, what software was used? Whose software was it? The logical inconsistencies that have occurred, what caused them? Who was accessing the data, and which software was used? It was even raised in Parliament that such issues should be investigated thoroughly by the Election Commission,” he said.“Under the BJP government, it feels as though, in collusion with the Election Commission, the result is declared first, then the certificate is issued, followed by counting, and only later the voter list is reviewed. They have completely altered the electoral process. Respected ‘Didi’ (Mamata) is an eyesore for them because she is someone who struggles and fights. She is not going to lose hope. She troubles the BJP because she represents half the population, women. The BJP leaders, who have a patriarchal and feudal mindset, cannot tolerate seeing a woman rise,” he added.Akhilesh Yadav is believed to have discussed the post-election political landscape in West Bengal and reaffirmed support for opposition unity against the Bharatiya Janata Party, PTI reported.Mamata Banerjee has pledged to reinforce the INDIA bloc following the TMC’s defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections.The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly, giving it a more than two-thirds majority and bringing an end to the TMC’s 15-year rule. The Mamata Banerjee-led party was reduced to 80 seats.
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