In a significant turn of events within the crisis-hit Trinamool Congress, most of the party’s defeated candidates in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections have chosen not to contest the results in court. Out of 211 unsuccessful TMC candidates, a staggering 96.20 percent have refrained from filing election petitions at the Calcutta High Court to challenge their defeats.
Among the few who have taken legal action, one notable petition was filed by Mamata Banerjee herself, contesting her loss in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency to current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari by over 15,000 votes, a closely watched contest.
So far, only eight election petitions have been lodged by TMC leaders, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), victorious in 202 out of 294 Assembly seats, has submitted six petitions at the Calcutta High Court. This brings the total number of election-related challenges stemming from the Assembly polls to 14.
During the elections, the TMC contested 291 constituencies, leaving three hill seats to its ally, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM). The TMC secured victory in 88 seats but faced defeat in 203, with the BJP dominating the polls. Additionally, the Congress and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party each clinched two seats, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the All India Secular Front (AISF) won one seat each.
A senior TMC insider, speaking anonymously, revealed that many defeated candidates opted out of legal battles due to insufficient evidence supporting claims of electoral irregularities. Another senior TMC leader, also speaking anonymously, emphasized that the decision not to file election petitions was largely due to the lack of substantial evidence to back allegations of electoral misconduct.
