Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday refused to congratulate the Trinamool Congress for its win in the West Bengal Assembly polls, reported NDTV.

In a Facebook post that he later deleted, Supriyo said he will neither congratulate TMC chief Mamata Banerjee nor does he want to say that he respects the “people’s verdict”. “...Because I think people of Bengal made a historic mistake by not giving Bharatiya Janata party a chance and by electing this Corrupt, Incapable, Dishonest government & a cruel lady back to power,” Supriyo said in the Facebook post.

The BJP leader said that he will obey the decision taken by the people of a democratic country. “That’s it,” he added. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

The Trinamool Congress won the elections by a landslide margin, winning 210 constituencies in the 294-seat Assembly. As of 9.47 am, the TMC was leading in three more seats, while the BJP won 77, Election Commission data shows. Banerjee will return as a chief minister for the third consecutive term in West Bengal.

“It is the victory of the people of Bengal, the victory of democracy,” the 66-year-old leader said in Kolkata. “Bengal has saved India today. This landslide victory came after fighting against several odds – the Centre, its machinery, its agencies. This victory has saved the humanity.”

Banerjee, however, lost from Nandigram against her former close aide and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by a margin of 1,956 votes.

Supriyo, who contested the Tollygunge Assembly constituency, lost to Trinamool Congress candidate Aroop Biswas by a margin of 49,427 seats.

Although Supriyo refused to congratulate Banerjee on the win, many of his colleagues, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have extended their wishes to the TMC chief.

“Congratulations to Mamata Didi for Trinamool Congress’ win in West Bengal,” Modi tweeted. “The Centre will continue to extend all possible support to the West Bengal Government to fulfil people’s aspirations and also to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Unions ministers such as Rajnath Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman also congratulated Banerjee.