Kolkata, May 4: Amid early trends showing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in a majority of seats in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed strong confidence that her party, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), would ultimately emerge victorious.
In a video message released on her social media platform X around 12:30 p.m., Banerjee asserted that “ultimately Trinamool Congress will have the last laugh,” even as counting trends initially appeared to favour the BJP.
At the time of her address, BJP candidates were reportedly leading in over 190 assembly constituencies. However, Banerjee urged her party cadre not to lose morale, claiming that such early trends were part of a “planned narrative.”
“This is the BJP’s plan. I have been saying this since Sunday,” she said. “In the initial rounds, it will be shown that the BJP candidates are ahead in a majority of the assembly constituencies.”
She further alleged that in nearly 100 constituencies, counting had been halted after just two to three rounds, raising concerns over the transparency of the process.
Banerjee issued a direct appeal to all TMC candidates and counting agents, urging them to remain present at counting centres until the final results are declared.
“Do not leave the counting centres till the end,” she said, emphasizing the importance of vigilance throughout the counting process. “Fight till the end like tigers. We will win finally.”
The Chief Minister also levelled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of acting arbitrarily and enabling misinformation.
According to Banerjee, several constituencies where TMC candidates were leading were not being accurately reported. “They are feeding total misinformation,” she claimed.
She further alleged that central forces were involved in harassment and intimidation of TMC workers across various parts of the state. Additionally, she accused authorities of deleting voter names during a special revision exercise, suggesting this had impacted electoral fairness.
Banerjee claimed that both central and state forces were being misused during the elections, asserting that even the state police were operating under the control of the ECI during the counting phase.
Despite these allegations, she maintained that there was no reason for panic, noting that many rounds of counting were still pending and that the final outcome could differ significantly from early trends.
“I am assuring you that we will be winning at sunset,” she said, reinforcing her belief in a late surge for the Trinamool Congress.
Her remarks come at a crucial moment in the counting process, with political tensions high and outcomes still uncertain. As counting continues across West Bengal, all eyes remain on whether the early BJP lead will hold or if the TMC will stage a comeback as predicted by its leader.
