Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has said she does not consider the West Bengal electoral outcome a defeat and, therefore, will not resign. The party has constituted a 10-member fact-finding
committee, which will include five Members of Parliament, to visit areas affected by post-poll violence.
While the TMC has publicly attributed its defeat to the role of the Election Commission of India, some leaders have begun acknowledging internal shortcomings, including allegations of “dadagiri” (high-handedness) at the grassroots level.
Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy, in an interview with News18, attributed the result to a combination of anti-incumbency and what he described as “Hindu polarisation”. He acknowledged dissatisfaction among voters and admitted that local-level issues, including allegations of extortion by party functionaries, contributed to the outcome.
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“This result is a consequence of anti-incumbency and Hindu polarisation, which we failed to fully understand. People were unhappy with us, particularly with our local leaders. There were instances of extortion, and we did not anticipate that it would lead to such a debacle,” Roy said.
He said the conduct of some local leaders created an adverse environment, adding that the scale of anti-incumbency had not been adequately assessed by the party.
Roy also pointed to the opposition’s organisational strategy, noting that the BJP’s campaign, led by leaders such as Bhupender Yadav and Sunil Bansal, was effective at the booth level.
On the conduct of the elections, Roy’s remarks diverged from the party leadership’s stance. While he referred to instances of alleged high-handedness by central forces, he stated that the overall polling process was peaceful and without fatalities.
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“There may have been some high-handedness by CAPF, but overall the elections were peaceful. No one died, which is the most important aspect,” he said.
Within the party, there is also an acknowledgement, expressed by some leaders off the record, that the TMC has increasingly been perceived as representing minority interests, a factor being viewed as electorally significant.
Despite the setback, Roy expressed confidence in the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, describing her as a “street fighter” capable of mounting a political comeback.
