"Zero plus zero equals zero": West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya jibes at Akhilesh-Mamata meeting

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 7 : West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Thursday reacted sharply to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav meeting with outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata, dismissing the political significance of the interaction.
Commenting on the meeting, Bhattacharya said, "Zero plus zero is equal to zero. Zero minus zero result is zero."
The remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav visited the West Bengal Chief Minister's residence in Kolkata, where he held a closed-door meeting with Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. According to TMC sources, the discussion was cordial, with leaders exchanging greetings and sharing political views.
During the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav reportedly praised the TMC leadership, saying, "What a commendable battle you all have fought," while also telling Mamata Banerjee, "Didi, you have not lost."
After the meeting, Yadav alleged electoral fraud by the BJP and Election Commission of India (ECI) in West Bengal, claiming "multi-layered mafiagiri" involving multiple players in the recently concluded assembly polls.
"I have just met Didi (Mamata Banerjee). Abhishek was also with me. Today, all of us, together, have to stand up to the election fraud. When the election happened honestly, she won, but this time, because of the multi-layered 'mafiagiri' that happened in the election, no one could have imagined that this kind of fraud could be done by the BJP, the Election Commission, their associates, the spies, and the underground people together, to do such elections," he said.
Yadav further compared the situation with the previously held Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, alleging that irregularities seen there had been replicated elsewhere.
"What the BJP has done in Uttar Pradesh--the election was a betrayal. It was a trial for them, and they learned from it and influenced the entire process," he added.
The SP chief further alleged misuse of central forces and administrative machinery, claiming officials were not replaced despite complaints and that a "parallel structure" was created during polling.
Yadav also raised concerns over the treatment of political workers and security arrangements, saying the situation in West Bengal was "unprecedented" and that leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee were facing "serious security threats".
In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the BJP won 207 seats, whereas the TMC, which has been in power in West Bengal for the past 15 years, won 80 seats.