Civic poll victory an answer to rival forces: Mamata

Refuting allegations of violence and malpractice in the recently-held West Bengal civic polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the TMC's massive victory was a befitting reply to the rival forces who carried out a "malicious" campaign against her and her party.
Main opposition Left Front countered Mamata's view, claiming that the election results were not the true reflection of public opinion as in most places "malpractices and violence had stopped voters from exercising their free democratic rights".
"The people of the state have given a befitting reply to the forces who want to stop the progress of the state. This victory is an answer to all the slanders and canards. Even with so many TV channels you could not do anything," Mamata said after her party's landslide victory.

"Some newspapers, just before the day of the polls, even said we brought in goons from outside to rig the elections. If we rigged the polls or resorted to malpractices, how come the opposition won so many seats?"
"The opinion polls by various TV channels had projected that we would get around 110 seats in the KMC. We got 114, so why are you people crying foul now?" the chief minister asked.
The state-wide civic election saw the Trinamool Congress winning an overwhelming 114 of the 144 wards in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and 70 of the 91 civic bodies in the districts.

The TMC which in the last KMC polls had won 95 seats, increased its tally to 114 while the main opposition CPI(M)- led Left Front was reduced to just 15 from 33.

"The polls were completely free and peaceful," Mamata said.
Banerjee said that an unprecedented malicious media campaign had personally attacked her and her party.
"There were so many personal attacks directed at me. I don't know what would have been the consequences if such things were done in any other state," Mamata said.