In a significant political statement, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday threw his weight behind West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, predicting a resounding victory for her in the upcoming 2026 state Assembly elections. He also forecast a defeat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Uttar Pradesh polls scheduled for 2027.
Yadav's Confident Prediction for Bengal and UP
Addressing the media in Lucknow, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister asserted that the BJP's political conspiracies would fail to make an impact. "In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is going to win by a large margin of votes," Akhilesh Yadav declared confidently. He accused the BJP of hatching plots across the country but claimed their strategies would backfire this time.
"These BJP people conspire everywhere. This time, their conspiracy will not work. First, they will lose in Bengal, and then they will lose in UP as well," Yadav told reporters, outlining a sequential downfall for the ruling party at the Centre.
The Background: Shah's Allegations and Banerjee's Retort
Yadav's comments come amid a heated exchange between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Mamata Banerjee. During a recent visit to Kolkata, Shah launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, alleging that "fear and corruption" had become the identity of West Bengal over the past 14 years.
The senior BJP leader also accused the Banerjee administration of enabling the infiltration of illegal immigrants and claimed the state was refusing to provide land for crucial border fencing work. In a fiery response, the West Bengal CM likened Amit Shah to "Dushasana," the infamous Kaurav prince from the epic Mahabharata known for his misdeeds.
Targeting Yogi Adityanath Over Voter List Revision
Shifting focus to his home state, Akhilesh Yadav also trained his guns on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. He alleged undue pressure on Election Commission officials during the process.
"When the chief minister said that four crore votes had been deducted from his count, he was essentially telling the officials to commit fraud," the SP chief claimed. He argued that the emerging data from the revision process puts the credibility of the Election Commission and its officials under scrutiny.
Yadav emphasized that any discrepancy between the figures presented by the state government and the SIR data would force the Election Commission to reevaluate the very purpose of the special revision exercise. His remarks highlight the escalating political tensions in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the crucial 2027 Assembly elections.
The SP leader's dual attack, supporting an ally in one state and confronting the ruling party in another, sets the stage for intense political battles in the coming years, with the BJP's electoral strategies in both eastern and northern India being called into question.
