"I Salute Him": Mamata Banerjee's Praise For Official Who Quit Poll Body

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday asserted that her party, a partner of the opposition bloc INDIA on the national stage, will contest the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal and asserted that her party will confront not only the BJP but also the CPI (M) and Congress in the state.

Addressing a huge gathering at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata, where the Trinamool Congress (TMC) unveiled its candidate lineup for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Ms Banerjee praised the recently resigned Election Commissioner Arun Goel for "not succumbing" to what she described as BJP's attempts at coercion.

The chief minister said, "I will never allow opening of detention camps and implementation of the NRC in West Bengal." The TMC will lead the way for the entire country in defeating the BJP, she claimed.

"We will contest the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal alone and will fight against the Congress, BJP, and the CPI(M). We will also contest elections in Assam and Meghalaya. We are in talks with Akhilesh Yadav (of SP) for contesting one Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh," she stated during the 'Jana Garjan Sabha'.

In January, Ms Banerjee had declared that her party would contest the Lok Sabha elections in Bengal independently, rebuffing efforts by Congress leadership to negotiate a seat-sharing agreement.

The decision by Trinamool Congress to go solo in Bengal has set the stage for a three-way electoral battle, with TMC and BJP poised to vie for voter support.

The Congress-Left alliance, as the third contender, holds the potential to impact the votes of both TMC and BJP, especially in minority-dominated areas and constituencies with narrow margins.

Ms Banerjee interpreted Mr Goel's sudden resignation as evidence of BJP's attempt to manipulate the elections.

"I salute Arun Goel for not succumbing to pressure by Delhi leaders (of BJP) and his top bosses in connection with the West Bengal LS polls and the deployment of forces. It is proven that what they (the BJP-led NDA government) want to do in the name of the election. They want to loot votes," she remarked.

Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned on Saturday, days before the expected announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

His tenure was till December 5, 2027, and he would have become Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after incumbent Rajiv Kumar retired in February next year.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his allegations that central funds are being siphoned off in West Bengal, the TMC supremo said, "The PM must cross-check facts with officials before making baseless allegations against Bengal." 

"We have constructed houses from funds. He is only inaugurating projects in Bengal but not releasing funds for the state. This is his guarantee. He has made all false promises," she said.

Continuing her criticism of the Centre over fund withholding, Ms Banerjee highlighted the delay in disbursing wages under the MGNREGA scheme.

"The 59 lakh job card holders from Bengal were not paid their MGNREGA wages after working for two years. It is the TMC government who had paid the wages from the state treasury," she asserted.

Mocking BJP's "Modi ki Guarantee" campaign, Ms Banerjee questioned its efficacy, particularly regarding the fluctuation in LPG prices.

"What guarantee are they giving? There is no value in your guarantee, which led to an increase in LPG cooking gas. Ahead of elections, they reduce prices by Rs 100 and then after polls, increase it by Rs 1000," she ridiculed.

She was referring to the Centre's decision to reduce LPG prices by Rs 100 on the occasion of International Women's Day.

"They have earned Rs 70,000 crore through an increase in cooking gas prices. Didn't they think about the poor? Where was the guarantee then? MGNREGA is a constitutional guarantee but they have declined it too," she said.

The Trinamool Congress on Sunday launched its Lok Sabha poll campaign with a grand rally at Kolkata's famed Brigade Parade Grounds.

The TMC released its candidate roster for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, ushering a major overhaul by dropping seven incumbent MPs and introducing numerous new faces, including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan.

The Trinamool Congress maintained a harmonious blend of experienced leaders and fresh talent, amid the alleged power tussle between the old guards and the next-gen leaders.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)