Lucknow,  February 7:  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to begin her two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh on Monday to "support Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for upcoming state assembly elections" that are scheduled to be held in seven phases beginning from February 10. The chief minister will reach the state today at around 5.20 pm and hold a press conference at the Samajwadi Party office on Tuesday and will appeal to people to support Samajwadi Party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Earlier, Banerjee informed that Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not contest the Uttar Pradesh elections but will field candidates in the state in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. "In Uttar Pradesh, I am not going to contest Assembly polls but I am going to support Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav. We (TMC) will contest from Uttar Pardesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," she said, reflecting her national ambitions in the next general elections. Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022: From Yogi Adityanath to Akhilesh Yadav, Here Are CM Probables In UP.

The Trinamool Congress is seeking to increase its footprint nationally ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in seven phases on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3, and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.