Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she would not resign, alleging that the verdict was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy”. BJP hit back, stating that she was making herself a “laughing stock”.Banerjee also alleged that she was manhandled and assaulted at the counting centre by “goons,” a claim ECI dismissed as “false and baseless”.
Calling the chief election commissioner the “villain” of the 2026 assembly elections, Banerjee claimed her party had not lost, but that “100 seats were looted” by BJP in collusion with ECI. “Our fight was against the villain – ECI, the chief election commissioner, who has created a black chapter. CEC is the villain of this election, who has joined hands with BJP, to loot the democratic rights of the people and manipulate EVM machines,” she alleged.
“In SIR, 91 lakh names were deleted. A dirty and nasty game was played. I have never seen such an election in my life. Even in 2004, when I was alone, it was not like this. BJP, along with goons, has unleashed atrocities – from Barasat to Bhangar, and from Bardhaman to Junglemahal, there is violence and terror,” Banerjee said.
Calling the chief election commissioner the “villain” of the 2026 assembly elections, Banerjee claimed her party had not lost, but that “100 seats were looted” by BJP in collusion with ECI. “Our fight was against the villain – ECI, the chief election commissioner, who has created a black chapter. CEC is the villain of this election, who has joined hands with BJP, to loot the democratic rights of the people and manipulate EVM machines,” she alleged.
“In SIR, 91 lakh names were deleted. A dirty and nasty game was played. I have never seen such an election in my life. Even in 2004, when I was alone, it was not like this. BJP, along with goons, has unleashed atrocities – from Barasat to Bhangar, and from Bardhaman to Junglemahal, there is violence and terror,” Banerjee said.
State BJP spokesman Debjit Sarkar said Banerjee’s stance was aimed at remaining in the spotlight for a few more days. “She is only making herself a laughing stock,” he said, adding “She will anyway cease to be the CM after the expiry of her tenure.”
Banerjee said the INDIA bloc stood firmly with her, adding that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Hemant Soren, Tejashwi Yadav, and Uddhav Thackeray had reached out to express solidarity.
