Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly manipulating the recent West Bengal assembly elections through a 'multi-layer mafia operation.' After meeting with Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, Yadav stated that Banerjee became chief minister when elections were fair, contrasting it with the current situation. He expressed concerns that the BJP's tactics, which he claims were first tested in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections, have now been applied in West Bengal to secure a record 207 of the 294 seats. Yadav called for unity among opposition parties under the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to defend democracy. Banerjee, who lost her Bhabanipur seat, echoed these sentiments, alleging that her party's polling agents faced violence and intimidation. In response, BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar asserted that the election results reflected the people's discontent with Banerjee's governance, labeling it a verdict against her misrule and corruption.