UP polls: Mamata Banerjee to extend support to SP, to hold press conference with Akhilesh on Feb 8

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 18 (ANI): Samajwadi Party Vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda on Tuesday held a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that she would visit Lucknow on February 8 and extend her "outside" support to Akhilesh Yadav in the upcoming Assembly elections in the Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking to ANI after meeting with Mamata at her residence, Nanda said, "Mamata Banerjee will visit Lucknow on February 8 and meet Akhilesh Yadav in the party office. Both of them will address the virtual meeting together. Both the leaders will address a press conference as well. One more public meeting will be held thereafter in Varanasi. Both of them will address the meeting, the dates of which have not been finalised yet."
The SP vice president further said that Mamata would not contest an election in Uttar Pradesh and she would support the SP from outside on all 403 seats of the Assembly.
"Mamata has confirmed that her party would not contest an election in Uttar Pradesh and she would provide an outside support to our party on all 403 seats of the Assembly," he said.
He further hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government in the state and said that the party has used all the agencies against them, however, the people of the state have made up their mind to defeat the BJP in the polls.
"Whatever the government wants to do, let them do. The people have made up their mind. They have used the CBI, ED against us. The BJP will be uprooted in the upcoming polls. BJP will be defeated in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party would form its government and Akhilesh Yadav will be the chief minister," the SP leader said.
Earlier, speaking to the reporters, Nanda said that the party wants to send the message across the nation that the BJP would be defeated in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 and at the Centre in 2024 general elections.
"We want to give the message that the BJP will be defeated in Uttar Pradesh, after which it would be defeated in the 2024 general elections," he said.
Nanda further said that Mamata's appeal to the people of Uttar Pradesh during her visit to the state would fill the workers of the party with new energy.
"The people want that just like the people in West Bengal defeated the BJP in 2021, in the same way, if Mamata Banerjee comes to Uttar Pradesh and appeals to the people to support Akhilesh Yadav, the workers of our party will be filled with new energy and we will defeat the BJP with full majority," he said.
Elections for the 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10.
The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)