Outlining the Trinamool Congress’ roadmap for the next year’s crucial Assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee on Thursday set the goal of winning more than 215 seats for her party in order to diminish the opposition BJP’s strength in the Assembly.
Addressing a mega meeting of elected representatives, leaders and functionaries of the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal, Banerjee alleged that the BJP won the Delhi and Maharashtra Assembly polls by voter lists manipulation.
“Currently, we have 220-21 MLAs as many from the BJP joined our party. We will cross 215-mark in the upcoming Assembly polls. We will get more seats. BJP should not get the number of seats they had got last time (in 2021 Assembly elections),” the Chief Minister said.
Notably, the Trinamool Congress had won 214 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls, while the BJP managed to bag 77 seats in the 294-member Assembly.
“We should ensure that candidates of the BJP lose or forfeit their deposits in the upcoming Assembly elections. Once again, games will be played (‘Khela hobe’). I ask our party workers to hit the ball harder this time,” she said.
Banerjee asked party leaders and workers to remain “very watchful” about any changes in electoral rolls in West Bengal. She also asked the leaders and workers to start physically verifying the voters’ list.
She alleged that electoral rolls were being manipulated with the blessings of the Election Commission in the State ahead of the Assembly elections.
“The cat is out of the bag now. The BJP is manipulating the voters’ list with the blessings of the Election Commission. This has been exposed now. It is your responsibility to stop fake voters being included in the voters’ list,” Banerjee told party workers.
“That is how the BJP won in Maharashtra and Delhi. The parties (non-BJP) in Maharashtra and Delhi could not catch this. But we did and we will take them head-on. By 2027-2029, the BJP will be finished,” she added.
Speaking at the meeting, Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee refuted speculations about his alleged conflict with party leader Mamata Banerjee and reconfirmed his loyalty to the party.
“Those who say that I am crossing over to the BJP, let me say that even if they slit my throat, I will continue to raise the ‘Mamata Banerjee Zindabad’ slogan from my severed windpipe,” said Abhishek, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew.
“I know those people who are spreading such fake news. They have vested interests ahead of the next year’s Assembly polls,” the MP added.
