Mumbai: The opposition parties in Maharashtra have come out in support of Trinamool Congress (TMC) head Mamata Banerjee, who decided not to resign as West Bengal Chief Minister, alleging democratic processes were subverted and central agencies misused to influence the assembly poll outcome. They also called for unity against the Centre’s dictatorship and the Election Commission’s partisan behaviour.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut supported Mamata Banerjee’s decision not to quit after her defeat in the assembly polls, calling it a part of her protest against the Centre and the Election Commission of India.
“Mamata Banerjee is not resigning is part of her agitation against the government (Centre), the Election Commission (EC) and a series of acts against democracy,” Raut said.
The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the Election Commission was no longer functioning independently and accused it of acting in favour of the ruling establishment at the Centre.
In a post on Facebook, Raut said Banerjee’s decision not to quit is fully justified. He also sought to draw a parallel with the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis.
The then Chief Justice of India had observed during hearings on petitions seeking the disqualification of rebel MLAs of the undivided Shiv Sena that Uddhav Thackeray, who headed the party at the time, could have been reinstated as chief minister had he not resigned, he added.
Raut asserted that it is necessary to unite against the ‘dictatorship of the Centre and partisan behaviour of the Election Commission.’ “The poll body has become a ‘slave’ of the Centre. The Opposition has to decide whether it has to contest the polls or not,” he said.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase claimed that democratic processes were undermined in West Bengal, and central agencies and administrative machinery were used to influence the poll outcome.
Institutions such as the Election Commission and agencies like the CBI, Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and CRPF were used in a manner that put pressure on the electoral process, he added.
Tapase claimed voters were prevented from exercising their franchise freely due to the presence and actions of central forces and agencies, raising concerns over the fairness of the election.
After the debacle in the West Bengal assembly polls, Banerjee refused to resign as chief minister, describing the verdict “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy.”
The BJP secured a two-thirds majority by winning 207 seats, while the TMC was reduced to just 80 seats in the polls, which brought to an end of its 15-year rule in West Bengal.
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