Published 14:58 IST, November 28th 2019
Mamata Banerjee lashes out at BJP after bypoll victory, calls BJP arrogant
West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee blamed the Bharatiya Janta Party's "arrogance" for its loss in the 3 bypoll elections in Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo has blamed the Bharatiya Janta Party's "arrogance" for its loss in the 3 Bypoll elections in Bengal. In a major surprise, TMC won all the 3 seats that it contested in the assembly bypolls. "If you see TMC ever since its inception, won first time in 21 years in Kharagpur and Kaliaganj. We owe it to the people. Our workers have worked a lot. Everyone has voted for us. Its the victory of the culture and unity of Bengal", said the Chief Minister.
'It is a huge victory'
In a major surprise, not only did her party retain the Karimpur seat which went into polls after its holder Mahua Moitra turned Member of Parliament from Krishnagar, but won the two seats of Kaliaganj in Uttar Dinajpur and Kharagpur Sadar. In its electoral history, this is the first time the party won the seats of Kharagpur Sadar and Kaliaganj. Mamata Banerjee pointed out that overcoming the previous shortfall and winning by a margin is always difficult, especially in a bypoll situation. Banerjee said, "Overcoming of the previous vote and winning by-elections is huge. Most people don't come back for bypolls voting if they stay outside of for work. It's a huge victory."
Mamata Banerjee also hit out at the Centre's policies, citing them as a reason for people disliking BJP. She claimed that the fear of implementation of National Register of Citizens or NRC to be a major factor in BJP loss. "People are watching everything. NRC is hitting them. After 71 years, if you ask citizens to prove their citizenship, then this will happen. BJP's discrimination is paying the price. We won votes of Adivasis, Hindus, Muslims, Bengalis, and non-Bengalis. Everyone wants peace in Bengal. Everyone wants to stay in peace with their families," said the Chief Minister while stating that Bengal is the perfect example of a cosmopolitan state where everyone lives in peace.
Lashing out at BJP's 'audacity' being the main reasons for their loss, Mamata Banerjee stated that the party is doing whatever they feel like in the country. She also claimed that people don't appreciate the arrogance of any political party while terming BJP to be extremely arrogant. As Bengal heads to polls in 2021, Trinamool Congress's springing back at the bypolls, and winning seats which it has not in its electoral history makes the 2021 West Bengal Assembly extremely interesting.
Updated 16:19 IST, November 28th 2019