'Goons entered counting center, beat me': Mamata after Bhabanipur loss
What's the story
Outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the Bhabanipur election results were manipulated. She lost the seat to the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari after final rounds of vote counting. In a telephonic conversation shared by Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Facebook, she called the verdict a "stolen one" and an "unethical dirty game" orchestrated by the Election Commission. Mamata claimed she was leading against Adhikari until the 16th round of counting but was later defeated.
Election allegations
Mamata alleges 'goons' entered counting centers
In the phone call, Mamata alleged that "goons" entered counting centers to intimidate officials and agents. She accused the Election Commission, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and local election officials of working under orders from Delhi to benefit the BJP. Mamata had started strong, leading by nearly 2,000 votes over Adhikari in the early rounds. However, Adhikari took a lead of over 1,500 votes in the second round.
Vote count
Mamata's lead swells to over 17,000 votes
The momentum swung again with Mamata taking a slim lead of 898 votes in the next round. By the seventh round, her lead swelled to over 17,000 votes. However, Banerjee's lead narrowed to just over 4,000 votes by the end of the 14th round. The counting was then halted amid allegations of a TMC agent being removed, with both Banerjee and Adhikari rushing to the center.
Vote count
Similar situation in 2021
In 2021, Banerjee had faced a similar situation in Nandigram, where she was ahead of Adhikari until a two-hour power cut. She hurried to the counting center that time as well, where Adhikari was already present. In that election as well, the final phases were where the biggest twist occurred. The TMC was left stunned when Banerjee fell behind by 564 votes with three rounds remaining and the difference continued to grow till the end of the counting.
Banerjee
She claims TMC didn't have representation inside counting hall
Banerjee said, "Those remaining rounds were in the Bhabanipur constituency, which was totally our area. At that moment, a few goons entered the counting centre, with EC officials, they beat me up and threw my agents away with the help of CRPF." She further said her party did not have representation inside the counting hall in the latter rounds and claimed that EVM machines were moved away to strongrooms without proper sealing.
BJP
'We will bounce back'
Banerjee condemned the result as an "unethical dirty game" and a moral defeat for the opposition, noting that "everything is documented and will be legally challenged." She further stated that evidence has been gathered, and Kalyan, who is a lawyer, is being informed of the facts. "Whatever the Election Commission has done, along with...PM & Home Minister, is totally illegal. It is loot, loot, loot. We will bounce back," she said after results were declared.