Mamata Banerjee maintains her refusal to resign after West Bengal election defeat: ‘Let them dismiss me. We will fight’

Mamata Banerjee, the outgoing Chief Minister of West Bengal, addressed a meeting of newly elected MLAs from her party and maintained that she would not step down following the Assembly election results, adding that the Centre could remove her if it chose to, according to ANI citing All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) sources as saying on Wednesday.

They added that she also claimed that party candidates were “forcefully defeated” in the elections and alleged that more than 1,500 offices of the AlTC were “hijacked".

"After the Bengal INDIA team is united now. I won't resign. Let them dismiss me. I want this to be a black day. We have to be strong. On the first day of the Assembly, wear black clothes. Those who betrayed will be removed from the party. I am laughing. I defeated them morally. I am a free bird. I worked for all. We might have lost but we will fight. HM and PM are directly involved," Banerjee mentioned, as per the report citing TMC sources.

"Those who lost were forcefully defeated. I condemn West Bengal Police, CRPF, BJP-minded Chief Electoral Officer and ECI. More than 1500 party offices were hijacked. I was heckled and pushed. I was having chest pain. This was not an election but an atrocity," she reportedly added.

According to constitutional experts, the current term of the West Bengal Assembly is scheduled to end on May 7. Until that date, Mamata Banerjee will continue in office. However, once the Assembly’s term expires, she will automatically cease to be Chief Minister, regardless of whether she submits a resignation, making the ongoing situation effectively time-bound.

The TMC chief also announced the creation of a disciplinary committee within the party, amid concerns about internal dissatisfaction and possible organisational instability following the electoral defeat, as per PTI.

Mamata Banerjee not resigning is a ‘protest language’

Meanwhile, Kunal Ghosh, spokesperson of the AITC and newly elected MLA from Beliaghata, defended Banerjee’s decision not to resign despite the BJP’s decisive win, describing it as a “language of protest” within a democratic framework.

"Mamata didi not tendering her resignation is a protest language. It is symbolic. This is a protest against the way the Election Commission allegedly manipulated the results in more than 100 constituencies during counting," Ghosh said following the meeting.

"This is a symbol of protest. In a democracy, this can also be a form of protest language," he further said.

West Bengal election results

According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP recorded a vote share of 45.84%, marking a rise of 7.87 percentage points from 37.97% in 2021. This increase translated into a major gain in seats, with the party winning 207 Assembly constituencies compared to 77 in the previous election, as reported by PTI

The AITC witnessed a decline in its vote share from 48.02% to 40.8%, a drop of 7.22 percentage points. This fall significantly impacted its performance, reducing its seat count from 215 to 80.

Meanwhile, BJP is set to form its first government in West Bengal on May 9. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya announced that the swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata.