Mamata Banerjee to hold virtual press meet with Akhilesh Yadav in UP

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav will hold a joint press conference with Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee in Lucknow ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections.

According to SP leader Kiranmoy Nanda, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its supremo Mamata Banerjee are not keen on contesting the upcoming Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.

Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav will hold a virtual rally and a press conference, Nanda said after a meeting with Mamata Banerjee at Kalighat.

“Initial talks were held with Akhilesh on the phone this week. Mamata has expressed her desire to go to Uttar Pradesh. She said she was interested in holding a public meeting in support of Akhilesh,” Nanda added.

But as per the instructions of the Election Commission, there will be no public meeting in Uttar Pradesh till the 22nd. Therefore, the SP leadership thinks that it will be easier to give a strong anti-BJP message at a joint press conference without waiting for the public meeting to be held.

Kiranmoy Nanda, state vice president of SP, arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday to pay his respects to Akhilesh Yadav.

“After the huge victory against the BJP in Bengal, Mamata is now the face of anti-BJP campaign. If she comes to Uttar Pradesh and holds a press conference, not only the specific message will go to the state, but also some stimulus will be created,” Nanda said.

Mamata came to Delhi and said that she would stand by Akhilesh if needed. Although her party has taken steps to expand in various states, the Trinamool in Uttar Pradesh have not been seen to make such an effort. On the contrary, the Trinamool leadership has said that Akhilesh Singh Yadav is a competent leader in Uttar Pradesh to deal with the BJP. As a result,TMC believes, it is desirable to be by the side of the SP there.