West Bengal Assembly elections: Mamata Banerjee loses her seat, says ‘loot, loot, loot… an immoral victory’
“BJP looted more than 100 seats. The Election Commission is the BJP’s commission,” she said, adding that she had complained to the chief electoral officer, but no action was taken.
As the Trinamool Congress (TMC) trailed behind the BJP through the day in West Bengal, the final nail came as the day ended — party chief and outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost to the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by over 15,000 votes in Bhabanipur.
Speaking to reporters outside the counting centre, Banerjee alleged that the BJP had “looted more than 100 seats”, adding that it was an “immoral” and “illegal” victory.
“BJP looted more than 100 seats. The Election Commission is the BJP’s commission,” she said, adding that she had complained to the chief electoral officer, but no action was taken.
“Do you think this is a victory? It is an immoral victory, not a moral victory. Whatever the Election Commission has done, along with the central forces, the Prime Minister and Home Minister, is totally illegal. It is loot, loot, loot. We will bounce back,” she said.
While Banerjee led in the earlier rounds of counting, her final tally was 58,812 votes. Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, bagged 73,917 votes.
Banerjee reached the counting centre at Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School at about 3.45 pm, and spent over four hours there. She alleged irregularities at the counting centre, and claimed that she was physically attacked. She also claimed that CCTV cameras were switched off and her party’s agents were not permitted inside the centre.
“With the help of central forces, they are harassing and torturing our party workers. Our offices have been vandalised and forcefully captured. The SIR was done to target seats where we were strong… The Election Commission is doing whatever it wishes, with the help of the central forces. The state police is dancing to the tune of the central forces,” she said earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Adhikari dedicated his Bhabanipur victory to “party workers and those who gave their lives for the party and Hindutva”. “Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, Bengalis, people from Rajasthan all voted for me. Muslims voted for Mamata Banerjee. Ten thousand CPI(M) supporters also voted for me. I thank all of them,” he said.
In 2021, too, Adhikari had defeated Banerjee from Nandigram by 1,956 votes. Banerjee had then won the Bhabanipur seat in a bypoll the same year. On Monday, Adhikari won the Nandigram seat also. —With PTI, ANI
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
