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West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Member of Parliament Abhishek Banerjee (right) hold a press conference as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads in the West Bengal state assembly elections, in Kolkata, India, May 5, 2026.— Reuters
– The CM alleges election commission bias.
– Banerjee’s tenure as CM concludes on Thursday.
– The election commission dismisses the CM’s claims as groundless.
An Indian state chief minister, who was ousted from power by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP in recent elections, declared on Tuesday that she had not been defeated and has no plans to resign, marking a significant political development.
BJP emerged victorious over Banerjee’s TMC, which has governed West Bengal since 2011, by securing over two-thirds of the 294 seats tallied on Monday. Notably, BJP has never previously held power in West Bengal, a densely populated eastern state sharing borders with Bangladesh. The recent victory signifies a major milestone as the party now governs almost all eastern Indian states.
The TMC’s seat count dropped sharply from 215 to 80, with Banerjee herself losing her legislative seat. She claimed that approximately 100 seats were “forcibly taken” from her party, alleging interference by a “biased” Election Commission—though she offered no supporting evidence.
“I will not resign, I did not lose… officially, through the Election Commission, they (the BJP) can defeat us, but morally, we won the election,” she asserted during a press briefing.
West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal dismissed her allegations as “baseless.” BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Banerjee, stated that “everything is outlined in the constitution.”
The Indian constitution allows the state’s governor to either request Banerjee’s resignation or wait for her term to naturally conclude. Once her term ends on Thursday, newly elected legislators will be sworn in, and a new government formation process will start.
Banerjee has the right to challenge the election results in court on various grounds such as electoral malpractice, improper counting or rejection of votes or nominations, disqualification of candidates, or violation of election laws impacting the outcome. She has not indicated if she plans to pursue legal action.
Prime Minister Modi, alongside his close aide and Home Minister Amit Shah, along with several senior BJP leaders, campaigned extensively in the state for weeks, highlighting issues like illegal immigration from Bangladesh and the struggling local economy under Banerjee’s leadership.
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