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ISLAMABAD: Amid allegations of misconduct in the West Bengal elections by the Election Commission of India and the ruling BJP, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee refused to resign and to go to Raj Bhavan (Governor&rsquo;s Residence) during a Tuesday press conference, local media reported.&nbsp;After a ruling party is removed from power, it is customary in India for the chief minister to go to the State Governor&#39;s residence and submit their resignation to the Governor.&nbsp;The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, however, has vowed not to do so, claiming that she has not been defeated and that &quot;the question does not arise for her to go to Raj Bhavan.&quot;&nbsp;Banerjee called the Indian Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, the &ldquo;villain of this election,&rdquo; and alleged that the Election Commission &ldquo;looted&rdquo; the electronic voting machines and the democratic rights of the Bengali people. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2051623385093075161&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=6764356bf78f1f599ddd25af124c2d2417e39a66&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Mamata has also accused the Election Commission of working at the behest of the ruling party in the center, the BJP.&nbsp;&quot;Two days before the election, they started arresting our people. They started raiding everywhere. They changed all IPS and IAS officers. They selected people from their party, and the BJP played the game directly with the Election Commission. It is a battle between the BJP and the Election Commission,&quot; Banerjee said.&nbsp;She also lamented the reduction of Bengal&rsquo;s electorate by more than 9 million voters under the infamous Special Intensive Revision, saying that Indian PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were actively complicit.&nbsp;The BJP won a two-thirds majority in West Bengal&#39;s controversial elections, defeating Banerjee&rsquo;s TMC, which had been in power for three consecutive terms.

India

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims she has not been defeated; accuses Election Commission of working at the behest of the BJP.

India: Banerjee refuses to resign after accusing BJP of rigging elections

ISLAMABAD: Under heavy allegations of poll rigging by the Bharatiya Janata Party, voting for Phase 2 of the West Bengal Assembly elections took place on April 29 across 142 constituencies, marking a decisive stage in the high-stakes contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP. More than 32 million voters were eligible to cast ballots across key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas, according to ABP Live, as polling covered the politically crucial southern belt of the state.&nbsp; Even as voting progressed, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of attempting to &ldquo;forcefully rig&rdquo; the elections, alleging that central forces deployed in the state were acting under political influence and intimidating voters, according to The Times of India.&nbsp; Banerjee also alleged that the Central Reserve Police Force was behaving in a partisan manner, claiming that voters and party workers were being harassed and threatened, according to The Economic Times.&nbsp; Reports from the ground pointed to tensions and sporadic incidents of violence. Police confirmed that cases of vandalism and unrest were reported in several areas during the early hours of polling, according to The Wire.&nbsp; NDTV also reported incidents of violence and malfunctioning electronic voting machines in parts of the state.&nbsp; The Election Commission significantly increased security deployment, with central forces stationed across sensitive constituencies and more than 2,400 people detained in a pre-poll crackdown, according to official updates reported by The Times of India.&nbsp; Despite the allegations and tensions, voter participation remained exceptionally high. Phase 2 recorded turnout levels exceeding 90%, contributing to a record overall turnout of more than 92%, according to The Economic Times.&nbsp; The BJP rejected the allegations, with its leaders accusing Banerjee of attempting to create fear among voters and undermining the credibility of the election process, according to The Times of India.&nbsp; With both sides trading accusations of intimidation and electoral malpractice, the West Bengal elections unfolded under intense political confrontation, raising fresh concerns over the fairness and conduct of the polling process in one of India&rsquo;s most closely watched electoral battles.

Phase 2 polls see high turnout amid Mamata Banerjee’s allegations of BJP-backed rigging, central force intimidation, violence and electronic voting machine issues.

Articles tagged with "BJP Rigging"

India: Banerjee refuses to resign after accusing BJP of rigging elections

West Bengal votes under the shadow of rigging claims in India