- By Shubham Bajpai
- Tue, 05 May 2026 06:03 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made explosive allegations of conspiracy against her in the state assembly elections, saying that she was not defeated by public mandate but by a conspiracy hatched by the BJP.
During a press conference, she also refused to resign from the office of the Chief Minister, stirring a fresh political row after rival BJP achieved a decisive mandate in its favour.
"The question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy. I did not lose, I will not go to Lok Bhavan. They can take action as per constitutional norms," she told a press conference in Kolkata.
Alleging irregularities in the election process, Banerjee claimed that the mandate in nearly 100 seats was "looted" and that counting was deliberately slowed down to demoralise her party.
Mamata trained guns at the Election Commission, calling CEC Gyanesh Kumar ‘the villain of the election’, reiterating her allegations of collusion between the poll body and the BJP.
Can Mamata continue as the CM?
According to Article 164 of the Constitution, a Chief Minister "holds office during the pleasure of the Governor." Besides, the provision mentions that the Council of Ministers is "collectively responsible to the Legislature", which is widely interpreted to mean as long as they hold a majority.
Therefore, the key to her continuation as CM is held by the Governor or until she loses majority in the new Assembly, which will be convened after the dissolution of the 17th Assembly. Given the poll results, the Governor has the power to dismiss the government and invite the leader of the majority party to form the government.
Article 172 defines the tenure of the assemblies as five years from the date appointed for their first meeting. Article 172 (1) says that "expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as a dissolution of the Assembly."
In this case, too, the Governor has the power to dissolve the Assembly before the completion of tenure. In West Bengal, the term of the 17th Legislative Assembly ends on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
Therefore, the Governor is most likely to dissolve the Assembly before May 7 and proceed with the Constitutional provisions, as Mamata Banerjee will no longer be officially considered Chief Minister after that.