‘All losers are not losers,’ says Mamata Banerjee after results show major gains for BJP in Bengal
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said it was time for the Congress to get an ‘Amit Shah’, and the CPI blamed Rahul Gandhi’s decisions for the debacle.
The Opposition parties congratulated the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance for a landslide victory in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee added that her party will do a complete review. “Congratulations to the winners,” she tweeted. “But all losers are not losers. We have to do a complete review and then we will share our views with you all. Let the counting process be completed fully and the VVPATs matched.”
Banerjee, one of the key faces of the Opposition, had led an aggressive campaign against the BJP in West Bengal. The trends so far suggest the BJP has made massive gains in West Bengal, leading in 16 of the state’s 42 seats. Banerjee’s Trinamool is ahead in 23 seats.
Exit polls had suggested the BJP will make major gains here. Going by the exit polls, the lowest possible BJP tally in Bengal was three to five out of 42 seats, while the highest was 19-22 seats. Banerjee had dismissed the exit poll predictions as gossip.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also congratulated the BJP. “So the exit polls were correct,” he said on Twitter. “All that’s left is to congratulate the BJP & NDA for a stellar performance. Credit where credit is due PM Modi Sahib & Mr Amit Shah put together a winning alliance & a very professional campaign. Bring on the next five years.”
Peoples Democratic Party leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted her congratulations to Narendra Modi for a “historic mandate”. “Today surely belongs to BJP and it’s allies,” she said. “Time for Congress to get an Amit Shah.”
Gujarat Congress leader and the face of the Patidar agitation Hardik Patel said Indians have lost. “Not Congress, but jobs problem has lost, education has lost, farmers have lost, women’s honour has lost, every common man issue has lost, a hope has lost,. truth be told, Indians have lost,” he tweeted. “Salute to the fight of all Cong workers. Will fight and win.”
The Aam Aadmi Party congratulated the BJP , and said that it hopes Prime Minister Narendra Modi will do “good work”. The BJP is leading in all the seven seats in the national capital. “In democracy, mandate of the people is considered to be very powerful,” said AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj. “We respect the mandate of India and congratulate the BJP for its victory. We offer Prime Minister Narendra Modi best wishes for his future tenure. We hope he would do good work in his future tenure.”
Communist Party of India National Secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan, however, blamed Rahul Gandhi’s decisions for NDA’s landslide victory, reported PTI. “…The unity of the opposition has been damaged by the Congress,” alleged Anjaan. “The policies and decisions of Rahul Gandhi has weakened opposition unity, led to divisions and opened the doors for Modi’s victory.”
The final tally is expected by Thursday evening.