Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, May 5: A day after the Trinamool Congress suffered a major setback in the West Bengal Assembly elections, ending its 15-year uninterrupted rule in the state, outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday ruled out resigning and instead called for strengthening the INDIA opposition alliance against the Centre.

Addressing the media in Kolkata alongside her nephew and TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other cabinet members, she said the electoral outcome did not reflect what she described as the “true public mandate.”

“Why should I resign now? We are not defeated in the real sense. The results reflect large-scale misappropriation and vote manipulation,” she said, rejecting calls for stepping down as Chief Minister.

Banerjee said she had received calls of support from several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, and Hemant Soren. She said the alliance would grow stronger in the coming days, with further meetings planned among its leaders.

She also claimed that her party’s main contest in the election was not against the BJP alone but against the Election Commission of India (ECI), which she accused of bias and wrongdoing.

Banerjee alleged that voter rights were affected due to administrative actions before the polls, including revision exercises and raids on party members. She further accused coordination between the ECI and the BJP, and even alleged involvement of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister in what she called a “conspiracy.”

She also made a personal allegation that she was physically pushed at a counting centre during the election process, though no official confirmation has been provided regarding the incident.

Despite the defeat, she reiterated her intention to continue leading political resistance and strengthening the opposition alliance at the national level.