Goons entered, beat me up: Mamata's explosive phone call on Bhabanipur loss
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee shared a phone call in which Mamata Banerjee alleged irregularities during Bhabanipur counting, claiming intimidation at counting centres and removal of her agents. She further accused procedural lapses in handling EVMs and said the outcome would be legally challenged with supporting evidence.
by Sayan Ganguly · India TodayIn Short
- Mamata claimed she was ahead till the 16th counting round
- The outgoing CM alleged goons entered centres and intimidated TMC agents
- She accused poll authorities and CRPF of favouring BJP directives
Trinamool Congress MP and senior Supreme Court advocate Kalyan Banerjee shared a telephonic conversation with Mamata Banerjee on his Facebook page, in which the outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister described the Bhabanipur verdict as a “stolen one” and an “unethical dirty game” by the Election Commission.
In the conversation, Mamata Banerjee claimed she was leading against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari until the 16th round of counting, with only a few rounds remaining.
In the phone call, she can be heard alleging that the election process was compromised by “goons” who entered counting centres to intimidate officials and agents
She further accused the Election Commission, CRPF, and local election officials (DEO and RO) of acting under instructions from Delhi to favour the BJP.
The battle for Bhabanipur turned into a nail-biting thriller, with a see-saw contest from the moment postal ballots were opened at 8 am. Mamata Banerjee started strong in the early rounds, taking an initial lead of nearly 2,000 votes over her bete noire, Suvendu Adhikari.
Adhikari struck back in the second round, gaining a lead of over 1,500 votes. The momentum then swung again, with Banerjee edging ahead by a slim margin of 898 votes in the next round. What followed was a phase of dominance for Banerjee. By the seventh round, her lead had swelled to more than 17,000 votes, prompting celebrations outside her residence, with green gulal and sweets being distributed.
Five rounds later, her lead narrowed to 7,184 but remained substantial. By the end of the 14th round, it had dropped to just over 4,000 votes, setting the stage for a photo finish. The counting then halted, and allegations began circulating about a TMC agent being removed.
It was a deja vu moment for Banerjee, who had led in Nandigram against Adhikari until a two-hour power cut during the 2021 elections. This time around, she rushed to the counting centre, where Adhikari was already present.
The biggest twist came in the final stages. With three rounds to go, Banerjee slipped behind by 564 votes, and the gap steadily widened till the end of counting, leaving the TMC stunned.
A significant part of her grievance centred on the alleged removal of TMC counting agents, who were reportedly replaced by agents from the opposition.
Mamata Banerjee said, “Those remaining rounds were in the Bhabanipur constituency which was totally our area. At that moment, few goons entered the counting centre, with EC officials, they beat me up and threw my agents away with the help of CRPF.”
She also alleged that in the final rounds, her party had no representation inside the counting hall, and claimed EVM machines were taken away to the strongrooms without proper sealing. “I am outside the hall. Not allowing me inside,” she said.
Calling the situation “torture,” she alleged that voters were first removed through SIR, and then their votes were “forcibly stolen” amid power cuts and chaos inside counting centres.
She further alleged illegal movement of EVM machines without seals and lack of transparency during the last rounds of counting.
Mamata Banerjee described the outcome not as a BJP victory, but as an “unethical dirty game” and a moral defeat for the opposition, adding that “everything is documented and will be legally challenged.”
She also said evidence has been collected and Kalyan Banerjee, as a lawyer, is being apprised of the facts.
Suvendu Adhikari dealt a decisive blow to the TMC by defeating Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur on Monday, in a result marked by symbolism, political significance, and historical resonance. The outcome broke what had long been considered Banerjee’s safest political bastion and delivered a psychological setback to the Trinamool Congress, as the BJP registered a strong saffron surge across West Bengal.
Adhikari won by 15,105 votes after all 20 rounds of counting. The contest, however, was shaped not just by the final margin but by the way the counting unfolded, with Banerjee taking a commanding early lead before her advantage narrowed steadily and Adhikari surged ahead late.
The Bhabanipur result carried particular weight because the seat had been viewed as Banerjee's most secure refuge. Adhikari's win altered that perception and added to the broader political message of the BJP's advance in the state.
The pattern of the contest closely resembled the dramatic course of Nandigram in 2021, almost step by step, with an early lead for Banerjee followed by a gradual erosion and a late push by Adhikari. In the end, the Bhabanipur result combined a 15,105-vote victory for Adhikari with a contest that echoed an earlier high-profile battle and underscored the BJP's wider surge in West Bengal.
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