Polling held so far in first phase of Bengal polls indicates TMC already in position to win: Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asserted that polling held so far in the first phase of the assembly polls indicates the TMC is already in a position to win.
Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said at a rally in Bow Bazar area of Kolkata that she will conquer Delhi taking along all opposition parties, after winning the election.
A voter turnout of 89.93 per cent was recorded till 5 pm, as polling was underway in 152 of the 294 assembly seats in phase 1. The next round will take place on April 29, while counting will be held on May 4.
"From my understanding of people's mind, we are already in a position to win given the polling held so far today," Banerjee said.
"I am not interested in any post, I don't want the chair. I only want the end of BJP government in Delhi," she said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at a rally in Krishnanagar, congratulated the people of West Bengal for the massive turnout in the first phase of the polls, terming it an "overwhelming mandate for change".
Banerjee, however, asserted that people voted in good numbers to protest the deletion of names in the SIR exercise, claiming that her efforts led to inclusion of 32 lakh names in the voter list.
"On the day of the polls, you (PM) are saying you will win; can you say this?" Banerjee said, adding, "How can the BJP be so naive."
Responding to Modi’s remarks that the BJP’s Bengal unit would hold victory celebrations on May 4 after the counting of votes gets over, and the party would distribute among people not just sweets, but also ‘jhalmuri’, the CM said: "I will send ‘bhelpuri’ (popular street food) to you, it is available in Delhi."
The PM had savoured ‘jhalmuri’ (another popular street snack) at an unscheduled stop during his visit to Jhargram last week.
At the Krishnanagar rally on Thursday, Modi also said: “I have heard that even ‘jhalmuri’ has given certain individuals a thunderous jolt. I had 'jhalmuri', but it seems that the TMC leaders are feeling heat of the chillies.”
Replying to the PM, Banerjee said “we are used to jhalmuri's spiciness”.
Speaking at another rally in Tollygunj constituency, Banerjee said she has always championed the cause of people and will continue to do so.
"They (the BJP) have been bothering Bengal for the last 12 years," the TMC chief said, maintaining that the BJP-led government at the Centre was not releasing the state’s pending dues.
Criticising the PM, Banerjee said that while on one hand he talks about lawlessness in Bengal, and on the other, he says that peaceful polls were held.
Noting that 90 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls during the SIR process, Banerjee said even those who never used to go to vote came out to exercise their franchise in the first phase on Thursday.
"We will win on their votes, no other party will win. Why will the TMC not win? We will surely win," she asserted.
Banerjee added that she was not concerned with the record number of central force deployment for the assembly polls. "It is the people who will cast the votes and not the police or the CAPF."
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Delhi court directs FIR against Abhijit Mitra for objectionable posts against Newslaundry journos
A Delhi court on Wednesday directed the registration of a FIR against Abhijit Iyer-Mitra over objectionable social media posts targeting journalists of Newslaundry, including Manisha Pande, Bar and Bench reported.
The order was passed by Judicial Magistrate First Class Bhanu Pratap Singh of the Saket Court.
The Court observed that the accused made ‘sexually coloured’ remarks against Manisha Pande and other journalists.
It noted that the tweets were prima facie intended to insult Pande and that she was specifically named in the posts.
“Therefore, on perusal of the application and the material placed on record by the complainant, this Court is of the view that the content of the tweets posted by the accused on “X” platform discloses commission of cognizable offences under section 75(3) and 79 of BNS,” the order said.
Stating that there is a need for investigation in the matter, the court stated that “it is of the view that police investigation is necessary as the offence has been committed in cyber space on platform "X".
“Therefore, police investigation is necessary to verify the user account on platform "X" from which the said tweets were published,” it added.
“Further police investigation is also necessary to trace and recover the computer source/electronic device from which the said tweets were published. This Court is also of the view that the Action Taken Report which was filed by PSI Ombir in the present case is not satisfactory as the above stated tweets were not considered in the report," the order further read.
Manisha Pande and six other journalists approached the Court, alleging that Iyer-Mitra referred to them as prostitutes repeatedly in a series of posts and articles on the social media platform X.
The journalists had also moved the Delhi High Court with a defamation suit against Iyer-Mitra. The suit challenged his remarks describing the organisation as a “basti/brothel" and its journalists as "prostitutes".
They argued that the remarks amount to a “sustained campaign of vilification”, which caused them mental trauma, harassment, and embarrassment. The petition sought a permanent injunction, a written apology, and damages of Rs 2 crore.
On May 21, 2025, the Court recorded Iyer-Mitra’s undertaking to delete certain posts within five hours. The matter remains pending before the High Court.
Advocates Bani Dikshit and Udhav Khanna appeared for the Newslaundry journalists in the case.
