West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday, 11 March, said that the Congress is losing its credibility, but added that Opposition parties can fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together if the INC wants.
A day after the Congress suffered huge losses in five state Assembly elections, Banerjee said, "All political parties that want to fight BJP should walk together. Congress is losing their credibility, can't depend on Congress."
"If Congress wants we all can fight (2024 general elections) together. Don't be aggressive for now, be positive. This winning (Assembly polls in 4 states) will be a big loss for BJP. This (2022 election results will decide fate of 2024 polls) is impractical," the TMC chief was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The remark can be understood as a retaliation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech made on Thursday, 10 March, wherein he said that the results of the state polls reflect the country's mood for 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The comments come as the Congress has incurred defeat in Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, and Uttarakhand Assembly elections. In Punjab, where the party has lost to the AAP, the Congress's seats have declined from 77 to 18.
Akhilesh Should Ask for Forensic Tests of EVMs: Mamata Banerjee Alleges Malpractice
Banerjee further alleged on Friday that there were malpractices related to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the polls in Uttar Pradesh, and that Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav should ask for forensic tests of the voting machines, ANI reported.
The Samajwadi party has garnered 111 seats, a spike from the 47 seats it held in the state earlier
Banerjee, who had supported the SP's election campaign, added that Akhilesh Yadav should not be disheartened, as his vote percentage has increased from 20 percent to 37 percent in this year's UP elections.
She also applauded the TMC's foray in Goa, noting that the party had garnered 6 percent votes in the state's Assembly elections in merely three months of entering Goa's politics.
The BJP has won 20 seats in Goa, the Congress has garnered 11, the AAP 2, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party 2, and the TMC 0, while other regional parties have collectively secured 5.
(With inputs from ANI)
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