Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday criticised his own party leaders for “gloating” about the loss faced by the Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly elections. He framed the BJP’s victories in West Bengal and Assam as “theft” of mandates achieved to “destroy Indian democracy”.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “Some in the Congress, and others, are gloating about TMC’s loss. They need to understand this clearly – the theft of Assam and Bengal’s mandate is a big step forward by the BJP in its mission to destroy Indian democracy.” “Put petty politics aside. This is not about one party or another. This is about India,” he added.
This came as the BJP is set to form the next government in West Bengal with a decisive two-thirds majority, ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state. Earlier, Gandhi said that he agrees with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation of “vote chori” in Bengal.
“Assam and Bengal are clear cases of the election being stolen by the BJP with the support of the EC. We agree with Mamata ji. More than 100 seats were stolen in Bengal. We have seen this playbook before: Madhya Pradesh. Haryana. Maharashtra. Lok Sabha 2024, etc.,” he added.
In the 294-member Assembly, the majority mark stands at 148. Results were declared for 293 constituencies on Monday, with repolling scheduled in the Falta seat of South 24 Parganas district on May 21, as announced by the Election Commission of India, with counting for that seat due on May 24.
Of the declared results, the BJP secured 206 seats, comfortably ahead of the Trinamool Congress, which managed 81. Trinamool chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost her Bhabanipur seat to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by over 15,000 votes.
The Congress won two seats, the CPI(M) one, while the AISF and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party secured one and two seats respectively. Notably, the Trinamool Congress failed to win a single seat in ten districts, including Cooch Behar, East Midnapore, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, and also lost all tribal- and Matua-dominated constituencies.
Meanwhile, in Assam, the BJP-led alliance registered a decisive victory in the polls, consolidating its position in the state and further marginalising the opposition, including the Congress, which trailed significantly in the final tally. The BJP won 82 seats, and the Congress managed to secure only 19 constituencies.
