West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says she will not resign after her Trinamool Congress (TMC) loses state elections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP wins a decisive majority in the 294-seat assembly, taking more than two-thirds of seats and ending the TMC’s 15-year hold on power. Banerjee, who loses her own seat, argues that she has not been “defeated” and says around 100 seats were “forcibly taken” as part of what she describes as a conspiracy, also calling the election process “biased” and the Election Commission’s role “unprecedented,” without providing evidence. West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal rejects the allegations as baseless. BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, say the process follows constitutional rules. Under India’s constitutional framework, the state governor may ask Banerjee to resign or wait for her term to end, after newly elected legislators are sworn in and the government formation process begins. Banerjee’s current term is scheduled to end on Thursday, while election results can be challenged in court on specified grounds such as violations of election law or corrupt practices.
Mamata Banerjee refuses to resign after West Bengal election defeat
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says she will not resign after her Trinamool Congress (TMC) loses state elections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP wins a...
- BJP defeats Mamata Banerjee’s TMC in West Bengal state elections, winning more than two-thirds of the 294 seats.
- Banerjee refuses to resign and disputes the election outcome, saying she has not been “defeated.”
- Banerjee alleges about 100 seats were “forcibly taken” and calls the election process biased, without providing evidence.
- West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer says the allegations are “baseless,” and BJP says the constitutional process applies.
- Banerjee’s term ends on Thursday; the governor can request resignation or wait for the term to expire, and challengers can appeal election results in court.
Mamata Banerjee says Narendra Modi’s party ‘forcefully captured’ election that ended her party’s 15 years in powerA political showdown is taking place in the Indian state of West Bengal as the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee – India’s most powerful female politician – has dramatically refused to resign after she lost elections to the prime minister’s party this week.On Monday, Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) won an overwhelming victory in the state elections in West Bengal, where Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party (TMC) have been in power for 15 years. Continue reading...
3 months agoNEW DELHI: The chief minister of West Bengal, who was swept from power this week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in state elections, said on Tuesday that she had “not been defeated” and would not resign, in an unprecedented political twist. The BJP defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has been in power in West Bengal since 2011, securing more than two-thirds of the 294 seats when votes were counted on Monday. The BJP has never ruled West Bengal, a populous eastern state that borders Bangladesh, and its victory is considered a political milestone as the party now controls almost all states in eastern India. The TMC tally fell to 80 seats from its earlier 215, with Banerjee herself losing her seat. Banerjee said about 100 seats were “forcibly taken” from her party, which also had to contend with a “biased” Election Commission. She did not back her accusation with evidence. “I will not resign, I did not lose... officially, through the Election Commission, they (the BJP) can defeat us, but morally, we won the election,” she told a news briefing. West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal termed the allegations “baseless”. The BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Banerjee, said “everything is mentioned in the constitution”. Appeal in court According to the Indian constitution, the state’s governor can demand Banerjee’s resignation or wait for her term to expire, after which newly elected lawmakers would be sworn in and the process of forming a new government would begin. Banerjee’s term is set to end on Thursday. A defeated candidate in an Indian state election can challenge the result in court on grounds including corrupt practices, improper acceptance or rejection of nominations or votes, candidate disqualification, or non-compliance with election laws that affected the outcome. Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2026
3 months ago
Abdul El-Sayed clashed with Jesse Watters in Fox News Senate interview
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed appears on Fox News’s “Jesse Watters Primetime” and clashes with host...
Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” with multiple outlets repo...
Judge hears arguments as Kennedy Center board seeks to restore Trump name
A federal judge hears arguments in the Kennedy Center’s latest attempt to recognize President Donald Trump on the buildi...