A senior Samajwadi Party leader on Monday said its chief Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to meet West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on March 17 at her residence. The Samajwadi Party will organise its two-day national executive in Kolkata from March 18 to discuss policies and strategies for assembly elections in three Hindi heartland states later this year, and the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
"On March 17, Akhilesh Yadav ji will meet Mamata Banerjee at her residence. It's a courtesy visit, but they will discuss the country's political situation," SP vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda said. Apart from the Bengal CM, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is "also likely to be present" in the meeting, TMC sources said.
"The issue of central agencies threatening opposition parties will also come up during the meeting," a TMC leader said. Banerjee and Yadav share a very cordial relationship. During the 2021 Bengal assembly polls, Yadav had announced his support for the TMC, which was reciprocated by Banerjee when she campaigned for the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister during the 2022 elections in that state. The Samajwadi Party’s national executive will be held in Kolkata after a gap of 11 years.
