The people of Bengal kept their faith in the Trinamul Congress in the general elections whose results were announced on Sunday, putting paid to the BJP-led NDA’s hopes of a strong performance in the state.
Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee (Photo:IANS)
The people of Bengal kept their faith in the Trinamul Congress in the general elections whose results were announced on Sunday, putting paid to the BJP-led NDA’s hopes of a strong performance in the state. In the process, thanks also to the reverses it suffered in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, the BJP was reduced to around 240 seats, although the NDA alliance had won or was leading in a total of around 291 seats, enough to form the government. In Bengal, the TMC got 29 seats, and the BJP 12 ~ six less than what they got in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections ~ while Congress won a single seat.
Trinamul chairperson Mamata Banerjee, speaking in the evening, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should resign owning moral responsibility for the poor performance. “Modi has broken many political parties and now the people of the country have broken his backbone,” Miss Banerjee said, adding: “This is INDIA’s victory. People has voted against Modi. Bengal was the biggest target… Shah should resign as people have given him a befitting reply.” Among others, Abhishek Banerjee, TMC national general secretary, won from Diamond Harbour by 7.10 lakh votes, the highest victory margin in Bengal. Trinamul candidate Yusuf Pathan, former cricketer, beat Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury by over 80,000 votes in Baharampur.
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The lone Congress nominee to win was Isha Khan Chowdhury, who was elected from Maldah South. The Sandeshkhali issue, where the BJP alleged the sexual harassment of local women by TMC leaders, failed to make an impact. Rekha Patra, the face of the movement who was fielded by the BJP against Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam of the TMC in Basirhat, lost by more than 2 lakh votes. Among BJP leaders who bit the dust were Mr Dilip Ghosh, former BJP state president, and Union ministers of state Debashree Chowdhury and Nisith Pramanik. Firebrand TMC leader Mohua Moitra was re-elected from Krishnagar seat while Mr Sudip Bandyopadhyay retained his Kolkata North seat
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