New Delhi: A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party secured a landslide victory in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday rejected the verdict, which reflected a public mandate, and announced she would not resign, alleging irregularities and saying a multi-pronged political and legal response would be launched.“I will not resign, I did not lose, I will not go to Raj Bhavan… This question will not come up. No. Now, I would also like to say that we did not lose the election. This was their attempt to defeat us. Officially, through the Election Commission, they could defeat us, but morally, we won the election,” Mamata Banerjee said at a press conference in Kolkata.Escalating her attack, she said, “We are not fighting the BJP, we are fighting the Election Commission which works for the saffron party”.The TMC chief also announced that the party will set up a 10-member fact-finding committee to visit areas across the state affected by post-poll violence.The statements came as the Bharatiya Janata Party tightened its grip on parliament, taking its seat to 207 of the 294-member House of Representatives after winning a recount in Rajahat New Town. The result comes after Monday’s decisive mandate that took the BJP past the two-thirds mark, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in the state.With the current parliamentary term ending on May 6, attention now turns to government formation. According to reports, the oath-taking ceremony may be held on May 9, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, but the details are still awaiting an official announcement.
What happens next?
As per procedure, Mamata Banerjee is expected to resign as chief minister but will continue in a caretaker capacity until the new government is sworn in. The Bharatiya Janata Party, as the majority party, will then announce the formation of the government, after which the governor will invite its leaders to be sworn in.Even if the transition process begins, the TMC may pursue several options depending on the election results. However, Mamata Banerjee may find it difficult to maintain her stance of not resigning as chief minister.The TMC may explore legal options, including filing an election petition in the culcutta high court. The two sides also discussed broader political mobilization on the ground and the possibility of coordinated action with allies in the Indian bloc.“Sonia ji, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashvi Yadav, Hemant Soren called me. All allies of the Indian Union told me that they fully and absolutely support me. I think our unity will remain united and strong in the coming days. Akhilesh requested me if he could come today but I told him to come tomorrow. So, he will come tomorrow. ” said TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee. “Everyone will come one by one. My goal is clear. I will strengthen the Indian team like a small man. I don’t have a chair now, so I am a civilian. So, you can’t tell me that I am using your chair. I am a free bird now. I have served the people all my life and even in these 15 years, I have not withdrawn a single paise of pension. I have not taken a single paise of salary.” But now, I am a free bird. So, I had to do some work that I would manage to do.” she added. Consideration may also be given to filing a collective petition with the Supreme Court challenging various aspects of the SIR process, including the amendment of the electoral roll.“We fought the entire mechanism, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister were also involved, there was direct interference. They removed 90 lakh names from the electoral roll. When we approached the court, 32 lakh names were restored. But do you know that another 700,000 names that were filed together later were also included and no one realized it? This shows how such a dirty, dirty and mischievous game is played,” Mamata said, highlighting concerns over the SIR process.
