Kolkata, May 5: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday ruled out stepping down as chief minister, alleging that the West Bengal assembly poll result was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy”, while vowing to take the battle to the streets and strengthen the opposition INDIA bloc.
Banerjee also alleged that the TMC’s contest in the polls was not against the BJP, but against the Election Commission, which “worked for the saffron party”.
“The question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy… I did not lose, I will not go to Lok Bhavan,” she said at a press conference, a day after the BJP sealed a landslide win.
“Why should I resign? We have not lost. Votes have been looted. Where does the question of resignation arise?” the TMC chief asserted.
The outgoing chief minister alleged large-scale irregularities in counting, claiming that nearly 100 seats were “looted” and that the process was deliberately slowed to break her party’s morale.
“We were not fighting the BJP; we were fighting the Election Commission which was working for the BJP. I have never seen such an election in my entire political career,” she said.
“A black chapter in history has been created. The Chief Election Commissioner has become the villain,” Banerjee said.
The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the TMC’s uninterrupted 15-year rule in West Bengal and marking a decisive shift in the state’s political landscape.
She also alleged that central agencies and the authorities acted in tandem, claiming that “raids, transfers and bias” skewed the playing field, and questioned the neutrality of institutions.
Banerjee, however, indicated that constitutional options remain open. “They can take action as per constitutional norms,” she said, without elaborating.
Signaling a shift in strategy after the electoral setback, Banerjee said she would now focus on strengthening the opposition alliance at the national level.
“INDIA bloc leaders called me up to express solidarity. Sonia ji and Rahul Gandhi have spoken to me,” Banerjee said, adding that she also received calls from leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Hemant Soren.
Political observers noted the irony in Banerjee’s outreach to the Congress, given the TMC’s sharp attacks in the past on the party and its leadership, including questions raised over Rahul Gandhi’s credibility as an anti-BJP face and frequent friction between the two in states like West Bengal and Tripura.
At the same time, Banerjee struck a defiant personal note, declaring she would return to agitational politics.
“As long as I was in the chair, I tolerated many things. Now I am a free bird, an ordinary person. I am a street fighter. I will remain on the streets and fight all atrocities,” she said.
Banerjee also announced the formation of a 10-member fact-finding committee to visit areas “affected by post-poll violence” and assess the ground situation.
She dismissed as baseless allegations of post-poll violence in 2021. (PTI)
