Mumbai

Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday defended West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for refusing to step down after her party’s defeat in the assembly elections, describing her move as a form of political protest against the Centre and the Election Commission of India.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut said Banerjee’s stand should be seen as part of a broader struggle to safeguard democratic institutions and oppose what he termed the Centre’s authoritarian approach.

He alleged that the Election Commission was no longer functioning independently and accused it of acting in favour of the ruling establishment at the Centre.

“Mamata Banerjee’s decision not to resign is part of her resistance against what she sees as repeated attacks on democracy by the central government and the Election Commission,” Raut said, adding that the direction of her protest would become clearer in the coming days.

He also stressed the need for opposition parties to come together if they intend to challenge what he described as growing centralisation of power and partisan conduct by constitutional institutions.

Banerjee on Tuesday had rejected calls for her resignation, claiming that the outcome of the West Bengal polls did not reflect the people’s true mandate but was the result of a larger political conspiracy.

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a decisive victory in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, winning 207 seats and bringing an end to the All India Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule. The TMC was reduced to 80 seats.

In a social media post, Raut said Banerjee’s position was completely justified and drew parallels with the political developments in Maharashtra in 2022.

Referring to the constitutional battle involving Uddhav Thackeray during the split in the undivided Shiv Sena, Raut said observations made by the then Chief Justice of India suggested that Thackeray could have returned as chief minister had he not resigned at that time.

Raut also revealed that Thackeray had spoken to Banerjee following the election results and conveyed his support. According to him, several leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc have also reached out to the West Bengal chief minister in solidarity.

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He reiterated that opposition parties must unite to challenge what he called the erosion of democratic values and institutional neutrality, claiming that even some individuals within the ruling establishment are uncomfortable with the current state of democratic functioning.