Mamata alleges BJP pressuring TMC candidates ahead of polls

Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BJP is threatening TMC candidates for support if it falls short of a majority, and warned of a delimitation plan to divide West Bengal, while also accusing the party of bribery and poll manipulation

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that the BJP was threatening TMC candidates, including state ministers, and seeking their support if the saffron party falls short of the majority mark after the assembly elections.

She also alleged that the BJP government at the Centre wants to carry out a delimitation exercise to trifurcate West Bengal, and that parts of the state could be merged with Bihar or Odisha, which would result in hardships for the Bengalis living in those areas.

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Addressing poll rallies at Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman, Chhatna and Onda in Bankura district, and Khandagosh in Purba Bardhaman, Banerjee said, “The BJP is threatening TMC candidates, including state ministers, and seeking their support if it falls short of the majority mark after the assembly elections.” The majority mark in the West Bengal assembly is 148. The BJP won 77 seats in the 2021 polls.

“The BJP is planning to bring in a delimitation bill to divide West Bengal into three parts. It may merge parts of West Bengal with Bihar or Odisha, and torture Bengalis there,” she said.

Banerjee alleged that the BJP has struck a Rs 1,000-crore deal to unseat the Trinamool Congress from power in the state.

She made an apparent reference to a viral video of Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir, who was purportedly heard saying that he was in close touch with BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, to unseat Banerjee from power and that he received Rs 200 crore as an advance payment of a Rs 1,000-crore deal to split minority votes to defeat the TMC.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. The TMC has demanded a probe into the matter, while the BJP and AJUP have called the video AI-generated.

“They (BJP) have struck a Rs 1,000-crore deal to unseat the TMC from power in West Bengal,” the party supremo said.

Banerjee also alleged that central forces deployed in the state for the upcoming polls were “disrespecting” women in the name of conducting searches.

The CM also claimed that she was denied permission to hold a rally despite the venue being available, while quick clearance was given for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting.

She also accused the BJP of bribing voters before elections, and called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls the “country’s biggest scam” in recent times.

“The SIR is the biggest scam the country has seen in recent times. Everyone in the world knows that your government will topple in 2026. We will then scrap all the anti-people laws brought in by your government,” she added.

“The BJP bribes voters before the elections. But they forget their promises soon after the polling is over. That was seen in the Bihar elections,” Banerjee said.

The TMC chief further alleged that the BJP would try to manipulate the polling process to win the election and urged the people to remain alert and keep a tab on the voting machines.

“Be alert about the voting machines. The BJP has planned slow voting and slow counting. Foil all their plans,” Banerjee said.

She also alleged that the BJP was planning to offer “spiked tea and sweets” to people to “loot votes”.

“They are planning to offer you spiked tea and sweets, consuming which you would fall asleep and they would loot your votes… Remain cautious,” she said.

She also questioned the BJP’s poll promise of filling up vacancies in government departments, asking, “What happened to his (Modi’s) promise of providing 2 crore jobs to youths?”