• Source:JND
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West Bengal:  Taking a dig at the NDA coalition a day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of PM-designate Narendra Modi, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday dropped a hint that the INDIA bloc can soon try to form the government at the centre, saying that sometimes 'governments last only one day.' She also declared that TMC won't participate in the oath-taking ceremony as the government is being formed "illegally and undemocratically".

Speaking at the Trinamool Parliamentary Party meeting on Saturday, Mamata slammed the 'Abki Bar, 400 Par' slogan of the Bharatiya Janata Party saying, "Those who spoke of 400 (Lok Sabha seats) could not get even a simple majority on their own."

Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party fell short of the parliamentary majority in the Lok Sabha with only 240 seats in its kitty, after scoring two back-to-back majoritys in 2014 and 2019. Narendra Modi-led party sought the help of its NDA partners, especially Janata Dal (United) and Telegu Desam Party (TDP) to form the government. While the NDA won a total of 293 Lok Sabha seats, the INDIA bloc managed to win 232 constituencies.

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Hitting out at the party's closest rival in West Bengal, Chief Minister Banerjee said, "Don't think just because INDIA has not staked claim (to form a government), nothing will happen. We are waiting and watching because things change. Ultimately, it will be a new Indian government, but let them be for a few days. Sometimes, governments last only for a day... Anything can happen, who knows if this government will last even 15 days?"

Amid a fierce BJP campaign which revolved around the Sandeshkhali row, the Trinamool Congress successfully held its ground, winning 29 seats against BJP's 12. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats in the state.