West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is without any seat since the announcement of the assembly election results on May 2. Agitated at the prospect of losing her CM chair, Mamata has opened a campaign against the Election Commission of India. Reportedly, Mamata will be sending a TMC delegation today to meet Election Commission officials and demand the announcement of by-polls and pending elections to seven assembly seats of the state.
TMC chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, said, “We will be meeting EC officials in Delhi with the demand to hold pending elections and byelections to seven assembly segments. The assembly elections were held in eight phases when COVID was at an all-time high. But now the COVID situation has improved a lot.”
Reported by TFI previously, to stay Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee has to contest by-polls within six months and become a member of the state legislative assembly. Article 164 of the constitution says a minister who is not an MLA within six months has to resign. Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay, the TMC MLA who won from Bhowanipore has already resigned from the Bengal assembly, paving the path for Mamata to contest the election.
While conducting the election is not a simple errand that can be done at a whim, the constitutional body needs time and resources to plan the gruelling process. However, Mamata true to her arrogant self has started cussing the Election Commission that it is playing the hand of the central government.
During the recent West Bengal Assembly session, Mamata said, “Had the EC not helped BJP, it would not have crossed even 30 seats. I can say that.”
It is Mamata’s desperation that she has started scheming plans to pilot a backdoor entry into the state — in case she loses the election. The West Bengal government has moved a bill for the formation of a legislative council in the state, which, like Rajya Sabha and other legislative councils (in states like UP, Maharashtra, Bihar) will have nominated members.
At a time when the states like Andhra Pradesh are planning to scrap legislative councils in order to curb public expenditure, Mamata Banerjee has proposed to have a new one in order to ensure that she and her lackeys get nominated.
Read More: Mamata is twisting rules around Legislative Council to remain the CM. Desperate but bound to fail
Mamata understands that the decision to parachute back to her traditional seat could backfire. In her pursuit to stop Suvendu Adhikari, she had casually ditched her constituency voters and never once turned to them to try and reason the decision to pacify them. The step-brotherly treatment meted will surely play on the minds of the voters and opposition would milk it as an opportunity to corner the TMC queen bee.
Read More: Win the seat or say goodbye to CM chair: The people of Bhowanipore have a wild card against Mamata
If Mamata loses in Bhowanipore, it would be the perfect microcosm example of the just-concluded assembly polls. While a defeat will mean a complete loss of face, Mamata’s battle, at the moment, is against the Election Commission as the clock continues to tick against her.