Akhilesh Yadav meets Mamata Banerjee, fuels talks of third front

Kolkata: Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, fuelling speculation of a possible front against the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Yadav, who was here in connection with the state conference of the SP, met Ms Banerjee at her residence here and said that his party stood behind her in the fight against communal forces.

“We are ready to make sacrifices to strengthen the fight for secularism. We are ready to extend our support to all those who are fighting for secularism. And for that we are extending our support to didi (Mamata Baner-jee),” he said at the conference.

Earlier in the day when he was asked whether the SP would form a joint front with the TMC, Mr Yadav had said he meets Ms Banerjee whenever he comes to the city.

Referring to the BJP’s victory in the Uttar Pradesh civic polls, he said that the party had won where the elections were held using EVMs but did not do well where polls were held by using ballot paper.

“I will ask the people to check that the BJP has bagged 46 per cent votes in places where elections were held using EVM and only 15 per cent votes where the polls were held through ballot paper,” he said.

Mr Yadav said that the BJP had won the UP Assembly polls with two-third majority but in the civic polls it had failed to win in the same manner.

“But you (BJP) are telling the country that the entire state has been painted in the BJP’s colour,” he said, adding that the path adopted by the party will not be able to bring happiness among the people in the country.