'Conspiracy won't work': Akhilesh backs Mamata Banerjee for 2026 West Bengal polls; claims BJP will lose in UP as well

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday backed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, asserting that the BJP’s “conspiracy” would fail. He also predicted that the BJP would lose the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2027.Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, “In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is going to win by a large margin of votes. 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,” Akhilesh told reporters. During a recent visit to Kolkata, Union minister Amit Shah alleged that “fear and corruption” have become the identity of West Bengal over the last 14 years.He also accused Mamata Banerjee’s government of facilitating the infiltration of illegal immigrants and claimed that the state government was refusing to provide land for border fencing.In response, Mamata Banerjee referred to Amit Shah as “Dushasana,” a character from the Mahabharat.Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav also targeted Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in the state, alleging pressure on Election Commission officials.“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 data emerging at this time proves that the Election Commission and its officials need to demonstrate their credibility. Because if there is a discrepancy between figures from the state government and those from SIR, the EC will have to consider the purpose of SIR and the whole revision process,” Akhilesh Yadav said.