Mamata Banerjee refuses to resign after defeat in West Bengal polls, alleges conspiracy

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee ruled out stepping down following her party’s defeat in the Assembly elections, stating that the verdict was not a genuine public mandate but the result of a conspiracy

She said the TMC’s contest in the polls was not against the BJP but against the Election Commission, which she alleged worked “for the BJP.”

Banerjee stated that the question of her resignation did not arise, asserting that the party was not defeated by a public mandate but by what she described as a conspiracy, and added that she would not go to Lok Bhavan

She alleged large-scale irregularities in the counting process, claiming that the mandate in nearly 100 seats was “looted” and that counting was deliberately slowed down to demoralise her party

Describing the outcome, she said a “black chapter” had been created in history and accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of undermining democratic rights

Banerjee 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 allegations of post-poll violence in 2021 as baseless while addressing the media following the election outcome

The TMC supremo said several INDIA bloc leaders had reached out to her to express solidarity after the results, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi

She also noted that she would now focus on strengthening the opposition alliance at the national level