Mamata confident; exit polls have no scientific basis, says Buddhadeb

By Malabika Bhattacharya

KOLKATA, MAY 11. Upbeat on account of the exit polls' projection, the Trinamool Congress supremo, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, said today: ``Despite large-scale rigging, the Trinamool-Congress combine would form the next government in West Bengal after 24 years of Left misrule. There is not even an iota of doubt in it.''

Ms. Banerjee's confidence stems mainly from the forecast which gave the combine at least 138 seats. She would require an additional ten-odd seats to arrive at a majority. Besides, she is also depending on the ``anti-Left swing'' in rural Bengal to give her a chance. ``The communists barred many people from casting their votes. Even then, we will win by the votes people have cast in our favour.''

However, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders are confident that the Left Front would get a comfortable majority. The Chief Minister, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said the exit polls had no scientific basis and could not be considered as the last word.

Mr. Biman Bose, CPI(M) politburo member, said Ms. Banerjee's optimism may best be described as a wild goose chase. ``Let's wait for May 13 to know who is forming the government and who is not.'' Mr. Bose warned the Trinamool leader of ending up upset with the final results. He reminded her of past elections when the Congress had gone to town predicting a sure win for it. In 1987, the Congress had even talked of securing 187 seats. ``Everyone knows what happened in the end,'' he said.

However, the indomitable Ms. Banerjee is not ready to buy that. ``The CPI(M) has sensed its defeat which was evident from the way the Chief Minister, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, tried to manipulate the election. He rigged the election in his Jadavpur constituency like the mafia,'' she said.

Refuting the allegation, Mr. Bose said it was beyond imagination how any one could describe a gentle, suave and cultured person like Mr. Bhattacharjee as part of underworld. She has become insane.''

PTI reports:

Ms. Banerjee has said her party would lodge a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the drowning of a party activist in a lake after being chased by securitymen during polling on Thursday. Party worker, Rabindranath Das, drowned in the Subhas Sarobar in east Kolkata under Beleghata constituency when RAF personnel chased a group who were allegedly ``trying to foment trouble in the area.''

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Section  : State Elections
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