Congress Backs Mamata’s ‘Stolen Mandate’ Claim, Demands Repoll
Voters line up to cast their ballot during the recently-concluded assembly elections in West Bengal
A day after Mamata Banerjee declared that she would not resign and alleged that the mandate in several Assembly constituencies had been “stolen”, the Indian National Congress came out strongly in support of its long-time political rival.
Although the Congress and the All India Trinamool Congress contested the recent West Bengal Assembly Elections separately, the Congress on Wednesday backed Banerjee’s allegations of electoral manipulation and demanded repolling in nearly 100 constituencies.
The party claimed that the number of votes deleted during the state’s controversial special intensive revision (SIR) exercise exceeded the victory margins in many seats.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Congress media and publicity department chief Pawan Khera described the developments as a “large-scale theft of mandate”.
“This is institutionalised electoral predation carried out through manipulation of electoral rolls,” Khera alleged.
The Congress leader was speaking publicly for the first time after receiving anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court in a defamation case filed by the wife of Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Khera said the INDIA bloc stood firmly behind Banerjee and framed the issue as part of a broader democratic crisis in the country.
“The INDIA alliance stands with Mamata Banerjee in this decisive moment of democratic crisis,” he said. “Her resolve to strengthen the bloc reflects a wider national imperative — the defence of constitutional democracy against systematic sabotage.”
He further alleged that electoral processes in both West Bengal and Assam had been compromised.
“Assam and West Bengal are no longer witnessing flawed elections, but a captured democratic process,” Khera claimed.
Citing figures linked to the SIR exercise in West Bengal, he alleged that nearly 91 lakh voters were removed from electoral rolls, while 27 lakh citizens were not given an opportunity to present their case before any tribunal.
“This is not an isolated aberration,” Khera said. “It is a well-established and repeatable Bharatiya Janata Party playbook.”
He alleged that similar methods had been used in states including Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Bihar, as well as during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Statistically and structurally, roughly every sixth BJP member of Parliament out of 240 is the product of compromised electoral processes,” Khera said, repeating a claim earlier made by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. “It is engineered representation sustained through manipulation.”
Allegations of Intimidation and Political Polarisation
Khera also alleged that political violence and intimidation had escalated in West Bengal following the election results.
“BJP elements are burning Opposition offices, assaulting candidates and workers, forcing shops to shut, and using loud DJ systems to play obscene songs as intimidation,” he claimed.
“There are also serious reports of threats, including threats of sexual violence, along with widespread beatings,” he added.
The BJP has not officially responded to these allegations so far.
Khera also addressed criticism from the BJP that the Congress was becoming a “new Muslim League” due to its electoral support among Muslim voters in some states.
“The BJP claims it does not need Muslim voters,” he said. “The BJP has rejected Muslim voters, and Muslim voters, in turn, have rejected the BJP.”
“In such a situation, when Muslims vote for a secular party, the BJP begins to complain about that as well,” he added. “This suggests that the BJP is now attempting to assign colours to votes. The question is — does B.R. Ambedkar’s Constitution permit such thinking?”
Khera pointed out that in Assam, 17 of the Congress party’s 18 MLAs belong to the Muslim community. In West Bengal, the Congress also elected two Muslim MLAs.
“While the Congress party has always ensured representation for all sections of society, the BJP has consistently targeted one community with divisive rhetoric,” he alleged.
“The truth is that the BJP seeks to weaken every section of society — including Dalits, backward classes, tribals, and women,” he added.
Earlier, the Congress released data on the composition of its legislators across the country. According to the party, it currently has 664 MLAs nationwide, of whom 520 are Hindus, 80 are Muslims, and 64 belong to other religious communities.
The remarks have further intensified the political confrontation between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, with allegations over electoral integrity now becoming central to the national political debate.
