KOLKATA: 'Didi' Mamata Banerjee will find herself standing alongside Samajwadi Party in her battle for a secular India, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said here on Saturday.
Yadav has met with the Trinamool leader in Kolkata a day after his party witnessed a massive drubbing in the state's civic polls.
The SP leader has been trying to stitch up a coalition of parties with a similar ideology to deal with the formidable BJP, which has been on a winning streak since the 2014 general elections.
Though the party has not revealed what transpired in the meeting, his visit is seen as the SP leader's fervent attempt to further consolidate the ties.
“Whenever I have visited Bengal, I have met didi (Mamata Banerjee). Her secular battle is not hidden from anyone and Samajwadi Party stands with her in her battle,” the SP leader said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday swept the civic body polls, winning 14 of the 16 mayoral seats.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attributed the victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and party chief Amit Shah's election strategy.
He said the results were an eye-opener for those making tall claims against BJP.
