Not popolar vote, Machenary mandate, says Mamta Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday cast a shadow of doubt over the BJP's record win in Uttar Pradesh, along with those in other states, saying it wasn't a popular mandate but a victory with the help of "election machinery and central forces and agencies". They play a kettle drum but they cannot make music. For music, you need a harmonium, she said at a news briefing in Kolkata. "All EVMs should undergo forensic tests to see if these were the same machines used by people to vote and then brought in for counting. If the BJP has won, it has not won by the popular vote. It's not a popular mandate, it's a machinery mandate," she said.

Talking about the 2024 elections, she said, "I say that all political parties that want to fight BJP must work together. There is no point in depending on the Congress. Congress was earlier capturing the entire country through their organisation, but they are not interested anymore, and they are losing their credibility. There are so many regional political parties. All must be working together and the decision on this can definitely be taken." She also said there was no point in counting on the Congress to defeat the BJP in 2024, reviving the pitch for a united coalition of opposition parties a day after state election results gave the ruling party at the centre a massive boost.