'I won’t resign, we haven’t lost': Mamata Banerjee rejects Bengal verdict

MAMATA Banerjee on Tuesday said she will not resign as West Bengal Chief Minister, asserting that she does not accept the election outcome as a legitimate defeat and will continue her political fight despite the setback.

Addressing a press conference in Kolkata after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a heavy defeat, Banerjee alleged large-scale rigging, voter list manipulation and widespread violence, claiming that “100 seats were stolen” in what she described as a “murder of democracy”.

She rejected the verdict, saying the party was “not fighting BJP alone but an entire system”, and reiterated allegations of bias and collusion involving the Election Commission of India and central forces during both polling and counting.

The TMC won 80 seats in the 294-member Assembly, while the BJP secured a sweeping 207-seat majority. Banerjee also lost her Bhabanipur seat, marking a significant personal and political setback.

She further alleged that nearly 90 lakh names were deleted during voter roll revisions, and accused central forces of intimidation, claiming TMC agents and candidates were targeted in multiple districts.
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Despite the loss, Banerjee said the TMC remains united, has formed a 15-member fact-finding committee to investigate alleged irregularities, and will continue its struggle in the days ahead. “The party is intact and we will keep fighting. We will bounce back,” she said.

She also claimed she was physically attacked while trying to reach a counting centre amid unrest and alleged that counting processes were disrupted in several constituencies.

Calling the results day a “black day” in Bengal’s political history, she alleged that democratic processes were undermined and warned of concerns over opposition space in the state.

Banerjee added that several INDIA bloc leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and Hemant Soren, had reached out to express support, underscoring continued opposition solidarity.