- By Priyanka Koul
- Fri, 08 May 2026 03:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A day after the Congress ended its alliance with the DMK and backed actor-politician Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday appeared to take a subtle but pointed dig at the grand old party, reiterating his stance on supporting allies in challenging times.
On Thursday, Yadav met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence, where he extended solidarity with the Trinamool Congress leadership following its defeat in the state Assembly elections. He also claimed that the polls were conducted under what he termed the “Uttar Pradesh model,” alleging intimidation and manipulation during the process.
In a post on X, accompanied by photographs with Banerjee and DMK president M. K. Stalin, Yadav wrote, “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty,” a statement widely interpreted as an indirect criticism of Congress for breaking ties with the DMK.
हम वो नहीं जो मुश्किलों में साथ छोड़ दें। pic.twitter.com/p1EosEJtvV
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 8, 2026
He further alleged that the West Bengal elections saw “multi-layered mafia tactics” involving the BJP, the Election Commission, and “underground elements.”
“What happened in Uttar Pradesh was repeated in Bengal. Opposition polling agents were threatened, and voting was conducted under fear. Central forces were used to ensure the defeat of the opposition,” he alleged.
In Tamil Nadu, the DMK managed to win only 59 seats in the 234-member assembly. The BJP won 207 seats to secure more than a two-thirds majority in the 294-member West Bengal assembly, ending the TMC's uninterrupted 15-year rule in the state. The Mamata Banerjee-led party was reduced to 80 seats.
The political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu deepened after the Congress offered conditional support to Vijay’s TVK to form the government, formally ending its alliance with the DMK.