INDIA bloc will win 315 seats, BJP 195: Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday predicted that the India bloc will at least win 315 seats while the BJP will win a maximum of 195 seats.

“The polling so far has been good. That is why the leaders of the ruling party at the Centre are tense. They have realised that Narendra Modi will not be back as the Prime Minister. They should not brag about 400 seats anymore. They will only win 195 seats while the INDIA bloc will win 315,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at an election rally at Bangaon Lok Sabha constituency in North 24 Parganas district on Monday.

She said that the people of the Matua community will have to fill the applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to get citizenship.

“If the Prime Minister has so much love for the Matuas, he should grant them citizenship without asking them to fill up the CAA form. We are determined to stop the implementation of CAA at any cost. If they want to do it, they will have to do it over my dead body,” the Chief Minister said.

She also accused the BJP of spending crores of rupees to tarnish the image of West Bengal by fueling unrest in Sandeshkhali. “They are insulting the women of Sandeshkhali,” the Chief Minister said.

She also ridiculed the five-point guarantee announced by the Prime Minister from an election meeting at Barrackpore. “Such guarantees are baseless since they will never be fulfilled,” the Chief Minister said.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister promised that there will be no religion-based reservation; continuation of reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and the other backward classes; ensuring celebration of Ram Navami throughout India including West Bengal; no amendment of the Supreme Court order on Ram Temple; and implementation of CAA.