Only Mamata Banerjee can counter BJP’s onslaught: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the only leader capable of effectively countering what he described as BJP's political onslaught at the national level.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister made the remarks after a meeting with Banerjee at the state secretariat, Nabanna, which lasted around 40 minutes. Yadav was accompanied by his wife and Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav.

“Only ‘Didi’ (Mamata Banerjee) can counter the onslaught of the BJP in this country,” Yadav told reporters after the meeting, praising the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo for what he described as her courage and resilience in confronting the ruling party.

Yadav also raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise was being misused to harass voters and could pave the way for the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by indirect means.

“Attempts are being made to implement the NRC in the garb of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls,” he alleged, citing his party’s experience in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav claimed that during a similar exercise in the state, nearly 2.89 crore voters were deleted from draft electoral rolls.

He said such actions posed a serious threat to democratic participation and voter rights, and stressed the need for opposition parties to remain vigilant.

Yadav asserted that the Samajwadi Party would stand firmly with Banerjee on issues related to democracy and constitutional values.

“We will extend full support to Mamata Banerjee in her fight to save democracy,” he said.

Banerjee did not make any public statement following the meeting.

The interaction comes amid heightened political activity ahead of forthcoming Assembly elections in several states, with opposition parties increasingly voicing concerns over electoral processes and exploring greater coordination against the BJP.