Akhilesh Yadav: People of West Bengal Will Ensure Victory for Mamata Banerjee
Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday reiterated his confidence in the victory of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, stating that the people of the state would defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party despite what he described as its attempts at manipulation, unfair practices, and conspiracies. Speaking to journalists, Yadav also raised questions regarding the basis of the proposed Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.
Akhilesh Yadav, the national president of the Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, sparked fresh political debate on Tuesday with sharp criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission of India. He expressed confidence that Mamata Banerjee would once again emerge victorious in West Bengal and also raised serious concerns about the functioning of the election machinery in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking to journalists, Yadav reiterated that the people of West Bengal would ensure Banerjee’s victory despite what he described as repeated attempts by the BJP to influence the outcome through unfair practices and conspiracies. He also questioned the basis of the proposed Women’s Reservation in Parliament, arguing that since the population has significantly increased since 2011, the reservation policy should be framed according to the current demographic realities.
Yadav further raised concerns regarding the role of the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, suggesting that electoral irregularities could increase in upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. Criticizing the Election Commission, he alleged that the body had failed in its responsibility to ensure voter inclusion. According to him, the commission’s role is to add eligible voters to the electoral roll, but it now appears that its focus has shifted toward removing voters instead.
The Samajwadi Party leader also accused the government of failing to control rising inflation and unemployment, warning that the situation may worsen after the elections. Commenting on the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to increase the honorarium of “Shiksha Mitras,” he said that if they had supported the Samajwadi Party in the 2017 elections, the state might have had a Samajwadi government today and they could have secured regular government jobs. He added that in the future, only a Samajwadi government could ensure justice for them.