Kolkata, May 5:Outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a blistering attack on Tuesday against the BJP and the Election Commission, accusing them of undermining democracy in the state. Speaking at a press conference, Banerjee called the Chief Election Commissioner the “villain” of the assembly elections and alleged manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Banerjee claimed that the BJP colluded with the Election Commission to “loot” the democratic mandate. She questioned how EVMs could retain 80–90% charge after a full day of polling and accused the Commission of systematically replacing IAS and IPS officers with its own appointees days before the election.

“Sad to say, CEC became the villain of this election to loot the democratic rights of the people and the EVM. Two days before the election, they started arresting our people, raiding everywhere. They changed all IPS and IAS officers. They selected people from their party, and the BJP played the game directly with the Election Commission,” Banerjee said.

She further implicated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in the process, alleging that 90 lakh names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and only 32 lakh restored after court intervention.

Amid these allegations, Banerjee emphasized her solidarity with leaders of the INDIA bloc. “Sonia ji, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Hemant Soren rang me up. All the allies of the INDIA Alliance told me that they are totally and absolutely with me,” she said. She pledged to strengthen the INDIA bloc as a “commoner,” saying, “I don’t have a chair now, so I am a free bird.”

Banerjee also highlighted her personal sacrifices, stating she has not taken a paisa of pension or salary in her 15 years of public service. She announced the formation of a ten-member fact-finding committee, including five MPs, to investigate post-poll violence.

The TMC chief alleged attacks on her party’s headquarters and warned that the central government would face similar opposition once out of power. She also described chaos at counting centres, alleging she was personally assaulted and that BJP candidates, supported by CRPF personnel, interfered with the process.

Banerjee argued that the true contest in West Bengal was not with the BJP but with the Election Commission, which she accused of bias. “The question of my resignation does not arise. We were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy… I have not lost, and I will not vacate the Lok Bhavan,” she said.

In the election, the BJP won a historic 206 seats, while the TMC fell to 80, a significant drop from its 212-seat victory in 2021.