Mamata Banerjee derides Amit Shah's claim of winning 26 of 30 seats in first phase of Bengal elections

Asserting that she will not predict anything, Banerjee said that it is the people's verdict that will be evident after counting

Refuting Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that the BJP will win 26 out of the 30 seats which went to polls in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that the people’s mandate will be clear after the election results were declared.

Without directly mentioning Shah, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) asked how can he make such a prediction a day after the first phase pollings were held.

"Today one of their leaders said that the BJP will win 26 out of the 30 seats in the first phase, He could have as well said that the BJP will win 30 out of 30 seats. Did he leave the remaining four for the CPI(M) and the Congress?" asked Banerjee.

Speaking at a rally in Chandipur Assembly constituency in East Medinipur district, Banerjee said that since more than 80% of votes were polled, I assume that the people have voted for the TMC.

Read: BJP will win 26 of 30 seats in WB, 37 of 47 in Assam: Amit Shah after Phase 1 polls

"But I will not make any predictions. The people’s mandate will be clear after the results are declared," said Banerjee.

Her comments come hours after Shah said that high voter turnout in the first phase was an indication that the BJP has already got the support of the majority of votes in the first phase.

The feisty chief minister urged people not to bother about who the TMC candidate is in their respective constituencies but to vote for her as she is the candidate of her party in all the 294 Assembly constituencies in Bengal.

Read: Mamata not interested in Bengal's development, says Adityanath

Without directly naming AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Banerjee said that a "leader based in Hyderabad" came to Bengal to divide the minority votes.

"But where was he when communal riots broke out in Gujarat and Delhi?" asked Banerjee.

Warning the polling agents of her party not to leave the polling booths at any cost, the TMC supremo said that she will come to know in case anyone took a bribe from rival parties.

"I would not have said such things anywhere else. But here we are faced with traitors," said Banerjee.