Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has refused to step down as chief minister despite a major blow to the West Bengal Assembly elections. He also said he was not ready to accept the election defeat.
Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Kolkata on Tuesday, Mamata said, “Why should I resign? We didn’t lose.” He referred to himself as a “free bird” or a free man, saying he has endured a lot of things in his responsibilities so far, but now he will take a direct movement against injustice.
“I was on the road, I was on the road. We will continue to fight for the common people.” His position has sparked a new political debate.
Meanwhile, various leaders of the anti-BJP alliance have contacted him and expressed his support. He said efforts would be made to strengthen the alliance.
Senior leaders of the opposition, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Hemant Soren, have called in support of him.
According to the official results of the election, the process of forming a new government will start soon. According to the rules, Mamata’s position could complicate the political situation even though the outgoing chief minister was supposed to resign at Raj Bhavan.