Mumbai

Opposition parties on Wednesday rallied behind Mamata Banerjee after her refusal to resign following the West Bengal assembly poll defeat, with Sanjay Raut describing the move as a political protest against the Centre and the Election Commission of India.

Raut said Banerjee’s decision was part of her agitation against what he termed a series of actions undermining democracy.

Speaking to reporters, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader said opposition parties must unite against what he called the “dictatorship of the Centre” and alleged partisan conduct by the Election Commission.

“Mamata Banerjee not resigning is part of her protest against the government, the Election Commission and acts against democracy,” he said.

Raut added that the future course of this protest would unfold in the coming days.

The remarks came a day after Banerjee rejected calls to step down, alleging that the West Bengal verdict was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, ending the All India Trinamool Congress’s uninterrupted 15-year rule. TMC finished with 80 seats.

In a social media post, Raut said Banerjee’s stance was fully justified and drew parallels with the 2022 political crisis in Maharashtra.

He referred to observations made by the then Chief Justice of India during hearings related to the split in Shiv Sena, noting that Uddhav Thackeray could have been reinstated had he not resigned.

Raut also said Thackeray personally spoke to Banerjee after the election results and extended support, adding that several leaders of the INDIA bloc had also reached out to her.

“We have to come together if we want to fight the dictatorship of the Centre and the partisan behaviour of the EC,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) also backed Banerjee.

Party spokesperson Mahesh Tapase alleged that democratic processes in West Bengal had been compromised and that central agencies and administrative machinery were used to influence the electoral outcome.

Tapase claimed institutions such as the Election Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation, Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and Central Reserve Police Force were used in ways that put pressure on the electoral process.

Drawing comparisons with developments in Maharashtra, he alleged that similar circumstances were now being witnessed in West Bengal.

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Tapase further claimed that the presence and actions of central forces and agencies had affected voters’ ability to exercise their franchise freely, raising questions over the fairness of the election.