Amit Shah Claim Of BJP’s Phase 1 Show Earns Mamata Banerjee Incredulity

Kolkata:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that the BJP will win 26 of the 30 seats for which polling was held in the first phase of West Bengal assembly elections a day ago, earned a major eyeroll from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who said that “the people’s verdict will be evident after votes are counted.”

Not naming Mr Shah, who made the statement at a BJP press conference in New Delhi earlier in the day, Ms Banerjee questioned how such a claim could be made just a day after the elections were held. Votes for all eight phases of the election are set to be counted on May 2.

“A leader today said that the BJP will win 26 of 30 seats, why did he not claim all 30, did he leave the rest for Congress and CPI(M)?” Ms Banerjee quipped, addressing a rally in the Chandipur constituency, next to Nandigram, from where she is contesting.

Asserting that she will not predict anything, Ms Banerjee said that it is the people’s verdict which will be evident after counting.

“Since 84 per cent votes were polled, I can surmise that people have voted for us,” she said.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien also said in a tweet shortly after Mr Shah’s press conference in Delhi, “Mind games won’t work, Mo-Sha” (a reference to Modi-Shah).

“Try your seat prediction stunts at the Gujarat Gymkhana. This is Bengal. #KhelaHobe,” Mr O’Brien posted on the microblogging site.

Mr Shah on Sunday told reporters the high voting percentage in first phase indicated the party has already garnered most of the votes in the 30 assembly constituencies.

Facing the full might of the BJP which has fielded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh besides the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath among others, Mamata Banerjee has been trying to frame the contest as one between outsiders and people from Bengal.

(With inputs from PTI)