West Bengal election: Mamata Banerjee refuses to resign after BJP defeats TMC

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday refused to resign after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated her Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state election, saying she had “not been defeated”.

The BJP defeated Banerjee’s TMC, which had ruled West Bengal since 2011, securing more than two-thirds of the 294 seats when votes were counted on Monday.

The BJP has never ruled West Bengal, a populous eastern state bordering Bangladesh, and the victory is being seen as a major political milestone for the party as it now controls almost all states in eastern India.

READ: BJP Sweeps Bengal, Assam; ‘Vijay’ Moment in Tamil Nadu; Congress Back in Kerala

The TMC tally dropped to 80 seats from 215 earlier, while Banerjee herself lost her seat.

Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Banerjee alleged that around 100 seats were “forcibly taken” from her party and accused the Election Commission of being “biased”. She did not provide evidence for the claims.

“I will not resign, I did not lose… officially, through the Election Commission, they (the BJP) can defeat us, but morally, we won the election,” she told reporters.

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal described the allegations as “baseless”.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Banerjee in her constituency, said “everything is mentioned in the constitution”.

Banerjee yet to say if she will move court

Under the Indian constitution, the governor of the state can ask Banerjee to resign or wait until the end of her term, after which newly elected lawmakers would be sworn in and the process of government formation would begin. Banerjee’s term is due to end on Thursday.

A defeated candidate in an Indian state election can challenge the result in court on grounds including corrupt practices, improper acceptance or rejection of nominations or votes, candidate disqualification, or non-compliance with election laws that affected the outcome.
Banerjee did not say whether she would challenge the result in court.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and several senior BJP leaders had campaigned in West Bengal for weeks before the election.

The BJP campaign focused on alleged illegal immigration from Bangladesh and criticism of the state’s economy under Banerjee.

BJP calls Banerjee’s stand ‘constitutional blasphemy’

The BJP on Tuesday also attacked Banerjee over her refusal to resign despite the TMC’s defeat, calling the stand “anarchic” and against democratic traditions.

The party described her comments as “constitutional blasphemy” and accused her of undermining the principle of peaceful transfer of power.

At the Kolkata press conference, Banerjee also alleged large-scale irregularities during counting and claimed the mandate in nearly 100 seats “was looted”. She further alleged that counting was deliberately slowed down to demoralise her party.

(With inputs from agencies)