West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will campaign for Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and her Trinamool Congress will not contest the election in that state, Samajwadi Party vice-president Kiranmay Nanda said on Tuesday.
Mr Nanda, who returned from Uttar Pradesh on Monday, held an hour-long meeting with Ms Banerjee at her residence on the issue.
"The Trinamool Congress will not contest in Uttar Pradesh and will support Samajwadi Party in the fight against the BJP. Mamata Banerjee will hold virtual campaigns along with SP president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow and Varanasi. She will be in Lucknow on February 8 and attend a virtual campaign. She will then will hold a joint press conference with Akhileshji," Mr Nanda told reporters after the meeting.
Ms Banerjee will also visit Varanasi later in February but the date is yet to be fixed, he said.
"She will visit Varanasi for a virtual meeting," Mr Nanda said and noted that most of the campaigns are being held virtually due to Covid restrictions.
The election to all 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.
"Mamata Banerjee is a strong leader and the way she fought against the BJP and defeated it in the West Bengal Assembly Election in 2021 is a lesson for the entire opposition. Her fight was unprecedented. The entire nation saw the fight she had put up against BJP's juggernaut," he said.
During the high octane West Bengal assembly polls, the Samajwadi Party had decided against contesting in the state and extended its support to the ruling TMC.
Akhilesh Yadav shares a very cordial relationship with Mamata Banerjee and had even attended the grand opposition meeting hosted by the TMC supremo in January 2019.
One of the longest-serving fisheries ministers of West Bengal during the erstwhile Left Front regime, Mr Nanda had merged his party, the West Bengal Socialist Party with Samajwadi Party in 2010.
Explained: How Trump May Bypass Senate To Install His Cabinet Picks Mumbai Voters To Get 20% Discount On Dining Out - See List Of Participating Restaurants Israel Eyes Tougher US Stance On Iran, Potential Peace Deals Under Trump Ashneer Grover's LinkedIn Post After Salman Khan Schools Him On Bigg Boss Biden Out Of Picture As World Leaders Meet For Photo-Op At G20 Summit 2 Bikers Dead, Dozens Injured As Dense Smog Leads To Massive Pile-Ups In UP Air Pollution & Diet: Consuming Jaggery Can Boost Your Respiratory Health; Here's How Climate Change Threatens Amazon Rainforest As Sand Dunes Appear Woman Air Passenger Found Dead In Chennai-Bound International Flight Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.