West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo, Mamata Banerjee, offered to quit the post of CM after her party’s dismal show in the Lok Sabha polls. She, was, however, convinced by her party workers and other senior leaders, to stay put.

“Yes I wanted to resign as Chief Minister. However, my party members convinced me to stay along. The chair needs me. I don’t need the chair,” she told media persons on Saturday. Banerjee had called for a “review meeting” with her party members after TMC failed to stop the saffron surge in the State. In fact, the TMC ceded at least 12 seats to the BJP as the saffronites broke in to her citadel.

TMC won 22 seats; while thr BJP won 18 in Bengal. Banerjee said she will stay CM as long as “people stand together”. “Money power and religious divide prominently came into play. The administration was taken over. How can I remain the Chief Minister in such a scenario. That’s why I had offered to step down,” she said.

Explaining her party’s “below expectations” performance, Banerjee floated the theory of “internal sabotage” and how some members of her party were working against it. “The BJP paid voters and to some leaders too. I will get to the bottom of this and take punitive action,” the WB CM said.

EVMs rigged

A defiant Banerjee then took on the Election Commission of India (ECI) calling it “The Man of the Match” and helping Modi win. Banerjee stuck to her previous stand that the ECI was biased and claimed that central forces were used to intimidate voters to vote for the saffron party. She further alleged that EVMs were “rigged” and “programmed” to ensure “leads of over 100,000” for the BJP. “There was foreign hand in play and it will be revealed over time,” Banerjee said.

No Modi wave

The West Bengal CM denied that there was any Modi wave and claimed that the BJP had “looted” votes to get these numbers. “How is it possible that the Congress failed to win even one seat in Gujarat, Haryana, or Delhi. What about Rajasthan and MP which are Congress ruled states? I am telling you, the BJP looted votes,” she said.

Banerjee said she was speaking on behalf of the Congress too because the ‘Grand old party’ was afraid to raise its voice. “I say what I have to. I’m not afraid of anyone,” the WB CM said. Banerjee, as was expected, went ahead with an organisation rejig and “accommodated” all losing candidates (former MPs) across different party posts or state government entities.

“I have fulfilled my promise to the people. I say with guarantee that what the TMC has done in 8 years no one else can do. I am unhappy that a party which has not done anything got a mandate like this. It is time I focus on organising my party,” she said.

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