Following the results of Assembly polls in five states, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said Congress has lost its credibility and the Opposition parties cannot bank on Congress to fight Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024 general elections.
Briefing mediapersons, the chief minister said, “All political polities that want to fight BJP should walk together. Congress is losing its credibility. We cannot depend on Congress. If Congress wants, we all can fight (2024 general elections) together. Do not be aggressive for now, be positive. This winning (Assembly polls in 4 states) will be a big loss for BJP. Their saying that 2022 election results will decide the fate of 2024 polls is impractical.” Banerjee’s remarks came against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying on Thursday that the election verdict of four states decided the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“When we formed government in 2019 (at Centre), ‘experts’ said it was because of the 2017 victory (in Uttar Pradesh) … I believe the same ‘experts’ will say that the 2022 election result will decide the fate of 2024 national elections,” PM Modi said while addressing party workers from the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
On Trinamool Congress (TMC) failed to open its account in Goa assembly polls, Banerjee said, “TMC got 6 per cent votes in Goa within three months of the party’s launch there. It is enough”.
The TMC supremo alleged malpractices of electronic voting machines (EVM) in Uttar Pradesh and said BJP’s victory is not a populist result but of election machinery.
“There was loot and malpractices of EVM. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav should not be disheartened and should seek forensic tests of the same EVM machines. Akhilesh Yadav’s vote percentage increased from 20 per cent to 37 per cent this time,” said Banerjee.
Mamata Banerjee’s remarks came a day after the results of assembly polls in five states where BJP showcased its electoral prowess by retaining four states. The party set new records by winning Uttar Pradesh for a second consecutive term. Further, it also managed to hold power in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
The results of five assembly polls came as a shock to the Congress which was hoping to do well to revive its prospects for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and to fend off the emerging challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress to replace it as the fulcrum of anti-BJP politics in the country.