West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday labelled the Election Commission (EC) as a "puppet" operating under the directives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Expressing scepticism about the BJP's ambitious target of 400 seats in this Lok Sabha elections, Mamata Banerjee said her party will support the I.N.D.I.A bloc from outside to form the government.


"BJP is claiming of winning 400 seats, but people are saying it will not happen this time. We (TMC) will support the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre," she said.


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Addressing an election rally at Chinsurah in Hooghly district, Banerjee criticised the EC for scheduling the polls over a period of two months, alleging that this decision favoured the saffron party while disregarding the hardships faced by the common people due to excessive heat.


"The Election Commission is a puppet and operates according to Modi's directions. Poll is being held for two-and-half months, have you (poll officials) ever realised the struggle of the common people," Banerjee said in the rally.


Accompanying the party's Hooghly nominee actress Rachana Banerjee, the CM accused Modi of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by allegedly announcing plans to expand the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to cover senior citizens over 70 years of age during the ongoing elections.


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"Why are you saying this now when the elections are on? You should have announced this earlier... Modi babu, you are violating the MCC," she said.


Banerjee reiterated her party's unwavering stance against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Bengal.


Earlier in a rally in Kalyani and Sreerampore on Tuesday, Mamata said that the INDIA bloc would form the next government at the Centre by winning over 300 Lok Sabha seats.


She said that the only guarantee is that BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not get a third term at the Centre.