Mamata Banerjee refuses to step down, alleges rigged mandate after poll loss

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday dismissed demands for her resignation following her party’s defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections, claiming the outcome did not reflect the will of the people and alleging widespread irregularities.

“There is no question of my resignation. I will not resign. We did not lose the election,” Banerjee said, maintaining that her party had achieved a “moral victory.”

She accused the Election Commission of India of bias, saying the electoral process was compromised. “Our fight was not with the BJP but with the Election Commission. BJP planned it using the EC,” she said, calling the situation a “brutal murder of democracy.”

“I would not have complained had they won a fair election. But we did not lose. They stole it,” she added.

Banerjee alleged discrepancies in voter lists, claiming that millions of names were removed and later partially restored following legal intervention. She said additional names were added without clarity and described the election as unlike any she had witnessed in decades.

She also accused political opponents of orchestrating violence and intimidation during counting and campaigning. “After the first round, the media said BJP is getting these many seats. After that, BJP entered booths and started beating our people,” she said.

“BJP along with goons started atrocities. Police is totally inactive. They have started torturing our people. They have also attacked SC and ST families,” she alleged, adding that women were threatened. “They said to them, ‘We will rape you’,” she said.

Questioning the conduct of central forces, she asked, “Is this jawan bahini or goon bahini? I have never seen central forces behave like this.”

Banerjee further alleged that she was manhandled during the counting process. “They did not allow me to move freely. They kicked me in my belly and backside. They threw me out from the counting centre,” she said.

“As a woman, I feel how they misbehaved with me,” she added, claiming party agents were denied entry by CRPF personnel. “To whom will we complain? They are all purchased,” she said.

She also criticized sections of the media, saying early projections influenced events on the ground.

Despite the defeat, Banerjee struck a defiant note, vowing to continue her political fight. “We fought like a tiger and we shall continue to fight. We will bounce back and fight this battle,” she said. “I don’t care about chairs, I only care about people.”

Banerjee said leaders from across the opposition had expressed support, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Hemant Soren and Tejashwi Yadav. She added that Akhilesh Yadav was expected to meet her soon and said she would now focus on strengthening the INDIA alliance.

“I will strengthen the INDIA team just like one person. I don’t have a chair now, so I am a commoner. I am a free bird now,” she said.

The Trinamool Congress has formed a fact-finding committee to probe allegations of post-poll violence. Banerjee said the panel would visit affected areas, including locations where party offices were allegedly attacked, and noted that even Abhishek Banerjee’s office was vandalised.

Warning the Bharatiya Janata Party, she said, “When you are not in power at the Centre, you may have to face the same. History will repeat itself.”

“What do you want? Only one-party rule? No opposition?” she asked, adding, “If this continues, the image will burst. You have forgotten the courtesy of democracy.”

Thanking voters, Banerjee said many were unable to cast their ballots. “I would like to thank Maa, Mati, Manush. Those who gave us votes, and those who could not vote because of them, we are sorry,” she said.

“We fought inch by inch. We fought against the Election Commission, not against BJP,” she added.