Mamata Banerjee appeared to quietly acknowledge defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections after changing her bio on X during the BJP’s swearing-in ceremony in Kolkata. The change came days after Mamata Banerjee publicly refused to concede defeat and insisted that the election result was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy.” Until 11 am on Saturday, her X profile still described her as the “Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal.” However, as Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the BJP’s first chief minister in the state, Mamata Banerjee updated her social media bio to describe herself as the chief minister of the “15th, 16th and 17th Vidhan Sabha,” signalling that she now considers her tenure to be in the past.
Social media change comes after days of refusing to accept election defeat
The revised bio now reads: “Founder Chairperson All India Trinamool Congress. Chief Minister of West Bengal (15th, 16th and 17th Vidhan Sabha).” Earlier, Mamata Banerjee’s profile had described her as: “Founder Chairperson All India Trinamool Congress. Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal.” The timing of the change quickly drew political attention because it happened on the same day Suvendu Adhikari officially took oath after leading the BJP to a historic win in Bengal.
Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee from the Bhabanipur constituency in last month’s Assembly election, became the BJP’s first-ever chief minister in the state. The BJP secured a landslide victory with 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, ending Mamata Banerjee’s uninterrupted 15-year rule in West Bengal. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress managed to win only 80 seats.
Mamata Banerjee earlier refused to resign and called poll result a “conspiracy”
Despite the massive defeat, Mamata Banerjee had strongly refused to resign from the chief minister’s post earlier this week. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, she claimed the election verdict had been manipulated and argued that the mandate was “looted.”
“Why should I step down? We have not lost. The mandate has been looted. Where does the question of resignation arise?” Mamata Banerjee said,” according to reports. She further adeed that “the question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy…I did not lose; I will not go to Lok Bhavan,” the 71-year-old leader added. She also accused the Election Commission and the BJP of working together to “loot votes.”
According to Mamata Banerjee, there were large-scale irregularities during counting and nearly 100 seats had been “looted.” She further alleged that the counting process was deliberately slowed down to weaken the morale of TMC workers and leaders.
BJP called Mamata’s stand “anarchic” after refusal to step down
The BJP strongly criticised Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to concede defeat. Party leaders described her stand as “anarchic” and said it went against India’s democratic traditions. Despite her refusal to resign publicly, Mamata Banerjee automatically ceased to hold office after May 7, when Governor RN Ravi dissolved the state Assembly at the end of its five-year term. Even after that constitutional process, Mamata Banerjee had continued insisting that her party had won the election “morally.”
From ending left rule in 2011 to facing BJP’s historic rise In Bengal
Mamata Banerjee remains one of the most influential political figures in Bengal politics. Her Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011 after ending the Left Front’s uninterrupted 34-year rule in the state. Over the years, Mamata Banerjee built a strong regional political identity and led the party through multiple Assembly victories. However, the latest election delivered a major political setback as the BJP swept Bengal with a massive majority.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
