Kolkata: A day after suffering a crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday refused to step down as Chief Minister, claiming that her party had been “defeated by conspiracy” and had, in fact, “won morally”.
Addressing a combative press conference, Banerjee alleged that the electoral outcome was not a genuine reflection of the people’s mandate but the result of systematic manipulation. “The question of my resignation does not arise. We were not defeated by the people but by a conspiracy… I did not lose, I will not go to Lok Bhavan,” she declared.
Claims 100 seats were stolen, calls it murder of democracy
The outgoing Chief Minister accused the Election Commission of acting in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that the contest was not merely political but “against the entire system”. She alleged large-scale irregularities during counting, stating that results in nearly 100 seats were “looted” and that the process was deliberately slowed to demoralise her party
Calling the outcome “a black chapter in history”, Banerjee went further to allege personal assault at a counting centre. She claimed that she was “kicked in the belly and back” and prevented from entering the premises initially, accusing central forces of acting like “goons”. According to her, CCTV cameras were switched off to facilitate malpractice.
These allegations were, however, firmly denied by West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, who said that no such incident had been reported. He added that neither a formal complaint nor an FIR had been filed, casting doubt on the claims of manhandling.
Banerjee also accused the BJP of orchestrating violence and intimidation in the aftermath of the results, alleging that TMC offices were being vandalised and party workers threatened. She announced the formation of a fact-finding committee to probe alleged irregularities and assess the ground situation in areas affected by post-poll tensions.
Despite the electoral setback, Banerjee sought to project political resilience, stating that leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, had reached out to express solidarity. She indicated that her focus would now shift towards strengthening opposition unity at the national level.
The BJP leaders sharply criticised Banerjee’s refusal to resign, terming it unprecedented and a violation of democratic norms.
Political analysts were equally unsparing. Some described her stance as untenable, arguing that both convention and constitutional practice require an incumbent Chief Minister to step down after losing an election.
