West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee broke her silence 20 days after the assembly election results were declared. In a Facebook Live session on Saturday, she leveled allegations against the Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while also criticizing the media`s coverage of the political landscape. This marks her first public engagement since the election results were announced on May 4.She described the election process as a farce.
Banerjee claimed that the TMC was on track to win between 220 and 230 seats, asserting that the final results were manipulated in at least 150 constituencies. She alleged "data hacking" by the Election Commission and claimed that her polling agents were forcibly removed from various centers. While stating that she acknowledges the results as a "public verdict," she maintained that administrative interference and the distribution of misleading information distorted the electoral outcome.
The TMC leader further accused the central government of dismantling party offices and harassing grassroots workers. She announced a shift in her communication strategy, declaring that she will bypass traditional media outlets to address the public directly via Facebook Live in the future. She urged her party workers to remain resilient and focus on strengthening the organization to stage a political comeback.
In contrast, the opposition has dismissed these allegations as a desperate attempt to mask the electoral defeat. BJP leaders argued that the mandate reflects a clear desire for change among the people of West Bengal, rejecting her claims of irregularities as baseless rhetoric.
