Mamata Banerjee accuses Election Commission, BJP of playing dirty politics, says 'they made situation difficult for Trinamool Congress'

PTI photo

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday said described her party Trinamool Congress' "landslide victory" in the state assembly poll as a vindication of its fight to protect communal harmony. Mamata, who contested and lost the Nandigram seat, said she had decided to fight from there and not her home seat Bhabanipur in the city as she had led the anti-farmland acquisition movement there.

BJP, EC played dirty politics in West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

Accusing the Election Commissiona and BJP of playing dirty politics and making situation difficult for Trinamool Congress in the state, Mamata said the people of Bengal - mothers, sisters and brothers, minorities and youth supported TMC which helped it to fight the poll battle. "The EC behave in a rude manner with us ... It fought with us just like a BJP spokesperson. We will go to court against it," she said. TMC along with other like minded parties will move the Supreme Court constitutional bench against the EC, she said. "Two, three nominated persons cannot decide the fate of this country and its elections," she said.

She thanked the leaders of different parties for congratulating her for the stupendous victory. Mamata said she has information about counting malpractice and if necessary her party will move court. She, however, declined to comment on the performance of the Left and Congress. "Ask the Left and Congress about this. It is their internal matter. Not proper for me to say anything."

The Bengal CM said while the date of swearing in will be decided later, the TMC will celebrate Rabindra Jayanti on May 9 to thank the people.
Asked about possibilities of a lockdown, she said "Not talking about it immediately. Let me first talk to my officers. There are some notifications". 

Mamata had set target of winning 221 seats in West Bengal

Mamata said that she had set the target of winning 221 out of the 294 seats despite BJP's appeals for a double engine government (government of the same party at the Centre and the state) and thanked the people for voting for TMC in a way which enabled it to win with huge margins in a number of seats. "I thank the people for saving the country, for saving its communal harmony. I am proud of Bengal. It is a landslide victory which will not allow anyone to say anything. They (BJP) claimed that they will win 200 seats. Can they show their faces after this?," she said and hoped that BJP will face similar rout in polls elsewhere.