“Fraud by BJP, EC”: Akhilesh Yadav alleges “multi-layered mafiagiri” in West Bengal assembly polls

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 7 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged electoral fraud by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Election Commission of India (ECI) in West Bengal, claiming "multi-layered mafiagiri" involving multiple players in the recently concluded assembly polls.
Speaking after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at her Kolkata residence, Yadav said Opposition leaders needed to collectively stand against alleged electoral fraud.
"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.
He also claimed irregular deployment of forces and administrative interference during the polls.
"Central forces, the Election Commission, and transfer postings - I have observed the UP elections very closely. We complained about numerous officials, yet neither the DGP, the Chief Secretary, nor any district officials were removed. However, during the Bengal elections, they took over the entire structure. They were instructed to defeat them... Many people have been granted 15 days of leave; the Central Force has never been given such an extended leave before," Yadav said.
The SP chief further alleged that the treatment of political workers during the election period was unprecedented.
"The behaviour directed toward political workers and party officials here is unprecedented. We have joined and left governments before, but we have never treated political workers this way," he said, adding concerns over security arrangements for leaders, including Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.
"Whether it is our colleague Abhishek or Didi, they are facing serious security threats," he said.
Earlier in the day, Yadav had accused the BJP of weakening democratic institutions and influencing voters through pressure tactics, claims which the party has consistently denied.
The meeting in Kolkata comes amid the post-poll violence in West Bengal following the recently concluded elections.
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. (ANI)