Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee took the game on to poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in Tuesday, she addressing a virtual rally with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav at Lucknow and raising the slogan “Khela hobe” that she had used in the state Assembly polls last year.
From Lucknow, Mamata announced that she would campaign in Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.
Donning the psephologist’s hat, Mamata predicted a win for the young Yadav in 300 of the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
“If BJP is defeated in UP, it will lose in the Centre too,” Mamata said on Tuesday with Akhikesh by her side. “Khela hobe (Game is on). Don't fall for BJP's false promises," she said.
Mamata's advice to the SP leader was to roll out direct cash schemes for women like Lakshmir Bhandar that she had done in Bengal. Such schemes, it is widely believed, helped her tide over th anti-incumbency factor in the 2021 Assembly polls.
“Akhilesh will form the next government in Uttar Pradesh with 300 seats. The new government should introduce schemes that provide cash benefit to women and students,” Mamata said.
Mamata’s advice to Akhilesh came few hours before the BJP released its manifesto, in which it rolled out a string of promises for UP women. Among the promises made were a hike in financial aid for women under a chief minister’s programme from the existing Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, provide financial assistance of up to Rs One lakh for marriage of girls from the economically weak section, two LPG cylinders free twice a year under the Ujjwala scheme (a Central government programme), free public transport for women above the age of 60, hike in widow stipend among others. The BJP has also promised to install closed-circuit television cameras in all public places and education institutes and 3,000 police booths exclusive to women.
In the last five years, rapes and murders in Unnao and Hathras have kept the UP pot boiling.
“The BJP should contest the polls after seeking forgiveness for Unnao, Hathras, the Covid deaths and subsequent cover-ups (by dumping corpses in the Ganga), NRC and instigating riots,” Mamata said. “We found bodies floating in the Ganga near Maldah and arranged for the last rites to be performed. They could not fight Covid but came to fight against us in the Bengal polls.”
Mamata’s ties with the Yadavs go back to the days when the Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh was a force to reckon with in UP politics and was also active in Delhi. The Samajwadi Party had also backed Mamata during her Singur agitation. In the last elections, the SP MP Jaya Bachchan had campaigned for Trinamul. “I have come here to return the favour,” Mamata said.
In 2017, BJP came to power winning 312 seats while SP in alliance with the Congress bagged only 47 seats. Trinamul, which has decided against contesting the Assembly polls, had won one seat in 2012 out of the 145 it contested a decade ago.
Uttar Pradesh goes to polls in seven phases from February 10 to March 7, while the counting of votes will be held on March 10.
