SP chief Akhilesh Yadav backs Mamata Banerjee for historic mandate in Bengal polls

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday expressed confidence that Mamata Banerjee will once again become the Chief Minister of West Bengal in the ongoing assembly elections in the state with a historic mandate.

Speaking to reporters at the party office in Lucknow on the sidelines of an award function, Akhilesh Yadav said, "She (Mamata Banerjee) is emerging victorious, despite having waged a struggle all alone, no matter how many officials are reshuffled by the Election Commission in collusion with the BJP, or the BJP colludes with the Election Commission..."

He also said that despite the removal of the DGP, the chief secretary, and other officials, the public is going to elect Mamata Banerjee once again as the chief minister with a "historic mandate".

"Just look at the previous elections in UP. Can you name a single instance where an official was removed? And now, with elections approaching once again, the 'setting' has already begun -- determining which official will be set where," Yadav said.

The Samajwadi Party chief also claimed that he has received information that the BJP's massive deployment of personnel is set to shift directly from Bengal to UP.

"They have mobilised lakhs of cadres there and are currently putting them through training. They are training the police, the central forces, and even their own underground, unregistered 'Sanghi' (apparently referring to RSS workers) associates," the SP chief said.

"They are being trained on how to send money and how to capture polling booths. It has come to the knowledge that money has already been sent right down to the booth level in Bengal," he added.

He also said that the power of the PDA ('Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) is not allowing them to sleep.

"The mere mention of the full form of 'PDA' is enough to rob them of their sleep all night. Till this day, they have managed to figure out only one full form for 'PDA'; they haven't been able to come up with a second one," Yadav said.

The elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases -- on April 23 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.