Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to be in the city on Friday to attend his party's two-day-long national executive and will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence, party sources said on Thursday.

The party is holding its two-day national executive in Kolkata from March 18 to discuss policies and strategies for assembly election in Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh later this year and the Lok Sabha poll in 2024, they said.

Yadav is slated to meet West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on March 17 at her residence at 5 PM, the sources said.

"On March 17 Akhilesh Yadav ji will meet Mamata Banerjee at her residence. It is a courtesy visit, but they will discuss the country's political situation. He will address party workers at Moulali Yuva Kendra in the afternoon," SP vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda said.

Banerjee and Yadav share a very cordial relationship.

Yadav had lent his party's support to TMC during the 2021 Bengal assembly poll, which was reciprocated by Banerjee when she campaigned for the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister during the 2022 election in that state.

Nanda said "On March 18 and 19 there will be a closed-door national executive meeting. On March 19 Akhilesh Yadav ji will address a press conference at 1 PM," Nanda added.

The SP national executive will be held in Kolkata after a gap of 11 years. The party founder, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav had then chaired the meeting.

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