On Tuesday, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee declared that she would not go to the governor to tender her resignation following the election results, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) landslide win did not reflect a true popular mandate but was instead the outcome of a conspiracy involving the BJP, the Election Commission of India, and central forces.
“If we have not actually lost the election, why should I go to the Raj Bhawan? I will not take the oath. And why should I resign? We did not lose. They are trying to defeat us by force. Around one hundred of our seats were taken away. Our battle was not against the BJP but against the Election Commission,” Banerjee told reporters at her Kalighat residence after the BJP secured 207 of the 294 seats in the Bengal assembly, while the TMC managed only 80.
The Bengal assembly’s term formally concludes on May 7. With the BJP scheduling the swearing-in ceremony for May 9, it remains uncertain whether the governor will request that she stay on as caretaker chief minister until a new leader assumes office.
“Legally, the Election Commission may be able to defeat us, but in moral terms, we have won this election. I am now free to go anywhere and to fight anywhere. I came from the streets, and I will remain on the streets,” Banerjee stated.Banerjee, 71, underlined that she had the support of the country’s top Opposition leaders and that her party would be back on its feet.
We will recover from this. This is a ruthless assault on democracy. This is the same way they secured victory in Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, and other states. They took control of the counting centres. It is extremely regrettable. I would have accepted it if they had won in a fair manner. They seized the counting centres when we were leading by 200 seats. They barred the media from entering. The central forces attacked our counting agents and forced them out," Banerjee said.
I have witnessed Central governments led by Rajiv Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I. K. Gujral, and H. D. Deve Gowda, but I have never seen anything like this. Can a party in power at the Centre conduct itself in such a way? When the judiciary is absent, when the Election Commission is biased, and when the government seeks one-party rule, what options are left for the people? This is sending a wrong message to the world, she added. Banerjee accused the ECI and the authorities of a crackdown targeting the TMC ahead of the elections.
She said, "Just two days before the elections, they began arresting our supporters. They also started transferring all police personnel and civil servants, including IAS and IPS officers, and replaced them with individuals from their own party."“First, they deleted nine million names from the voter list. We went to court, and 3.2 million names were added. They played a dirty, nasty, mischievous game. I never saw a dirtier election,” she added.
Banerjee stated that senior leaders of the Opposition INDIA alliance, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, had voiced their support for her party.
“They told me, ‘we stand fully with you.’ Everyone will come here. Our solidarity will grow stronger in the days ahead. As an ordinary person, I will work to strengthen the INDIA alliance. I no longer hold any official position. I am now just a common citizen, a free bird. I dedicate my entire life to serving the people,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee alleged that she was kicked, assaulted and abused during the counting after media reports claimed that the BJP was leading.
She said, "As soon as media reports suggested that the BJP was leading in the first and second rounds of counting, BJP supporters entered the counting centres and began assaulting our workers, including women. They blocked my car at Jagubazar. When I arrived at the counting centre for the Bhabanipur constituency, the CRPF prevented me from going in. I wrote to the returning officer, insisting that the counting be halted until the situation returned to normal."
They forced me out of the counting centre. I was kicked and subjected to abuse. I feel humiliated not only as a woman but as a human being. I can only imagine what our other candidates are going through. The party stands with them. Hundreds of our supporters are under attack. Our offices are being ransacked. Even members of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities are not being spared, Banerjee said.“We will set up a fact-finding committee comprising five MPs and other leaders. They will visit all our party offices, our headquarters and Abhishek’s office where stones were pelted. You cannot start torturing us like this. If you do, you have to face the same battle. History repeats itself.”
Responding to her accusation, West Bengal’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal stated that no complaint had been received regarding the alleged attack on Mamata Banerjee. "If anyone had been assaulted, as claimed, a formal complaint would have been lodged. I have received no such complaint," Agarwal said. Bengal BJP unit president Samik Bhattacharya said his party workers were attacked in several districts on Tuesday.
No one from any political party should engage in violence. The police must act against all involved, irrespective of their political affiliation. The elections were peaceful, and this is exactly what the BJP wants," he said.
