TMC 'Adamant' On Holding By-Polls To Make Mamata Banerjee CM of West Bengal: BJP

West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said that his party has already told the Election Commission that by-polls cannot be held at this time.

Kolkata: Launching a vitriolic attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over its repeated assertion that the pending by-elections in seven assembly constituencies be held at the earliest, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said the ruling party in West Bengal is adamant on holding the polls to make Mamata Banerjee the Chief Minister.

West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said that his party has already told the Election Commission that by-polls cannot be held at this time.

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“If there is such situation, why are municipal corporation polls pending for two and a half years? They are adamant on holding the polls to make Mamata Banerjee the CM. The EC will take final decision,” he added.

Meanwhile, TMC leader Tapas Roy reiterated his party’s demand that the by-elections should be held immediately in all seven assembly constituencies.

“The general elections were held during Covid. As per the Constitution, the by-polls should be held in six months. The EC is meant for holding elections. By-elections should be held immediately in all seven constituencies,” Roy said, ANI reported.

The seven seats are lying vacant either due to the deaths of candidates during the eight-phase assembly polls held earlier this year or the resignation of MLAs.

The TMC is reportedly keen on the by-polls as Banerjee, who lost the election from Nandigram, must be elected within November to be able to retain her post as the Chief Minister. The by-polls must be conducted by November 5 for the same.

The TMC pulled off a spectacular victory in a high-stakes electoral battle, trouncing the BJP to form the government for a third consecutive term in West Bengal earlier this year. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, however, defeated his former party supremo Banerjee in Nandigram.

Despite an aggressive campaigning by the BJP, the TMC won 213 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly. The saffron party managed to bag just 77 seats.