Didi is a fighter, I stand by her: Akhilesh visits Mamata’s Kalighat home

Akhilesh hit out at the Election Commission over the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

On the deployment of an “unprecedented” number of Central force personnel in the state during the elections, Akhilesh said, “Over three lakh Central forces personnel were sent to West Bengal. Officers were transferred. New officers, who were brought in, were lured. I am sure you will see plum postings of officers who worked in West Bengal on behalf of the EC,” he added.

Accusing the Central forces of casting votes, the SP chief said,

“Then on polling day, Central forces did the voting. They threatened party agents and insulted candidates like Mamata Banerjee. The same thing they did in Uttar Pradesh. They did not allow the people to vote. Central forces did the voting and agents were threatened,” alleged Akhilesh.

Reiterating his demand that the CCTV footage of the counting centres of West Bengal be made public, he said, “If the Supreme Court can have a live hearing, why is EC not making the CCTV footage inside the counting centres public? At least share them with media persons.”

He alleged that the West Bengal polls witnessed “multi-layered mafia tactics” involving the BJP, the Election Commission, and “underground elements.”

He also expressed concern over the safety of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, alleging that the BJP was “anti-women”, and asserted that democratic forces across the country must unite.

Praising Mamata’s leadership, he said, “Didi is a fighter. The BJP cannot see women’s progress. That is why they are doing this. The BJP has destroyed democracy,” he added.

The former CM of UP also urged all political parties to back TMC and Mamata Banerjee. “I will appeal to all political parties to stand with Didi at least on this issue. We have to save democracy. All of us are with Didi. We will definitely raise the issue in the Parliament,” he said.

He also congratulated Abhishek Banerjee for “putting up a strong fight” in the elections

A day after the BJP swept the Assembly elections by winning 207 seats, Mamata had refused to accept her defeat. “We have not been defeated, I have not been defeated, I will not resign.”

She had also thanked the India bloc leaders for standing with her on the issue.

The TMC chief herself lost to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes on her home turf of Bhabanipur.