I gracefully accept defeat, says BJP's Tibrewal, but has a message on the ‘game’
BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal said she was the “man of the match” of the bypoll game as she had contested against a heavyweight candidate like Banerjee and still got more than 25,000 votes.
Priyanka Tibrewal, who was fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur by-election, on Sunday congratulated the Bengal chief minister and said she gracefully accepted her defeat.
"I gracefully accept the defeat. I congratulate Didi. I have sent my message to her," said the lawyer-turned-politician.
She, however, added that she was the “man of the match” of the bypoll game as she had contested against a heavyweight candidate like Banerjee and still got more than 25,000 votes.
Also read | It's game on in Bhabanipur: Didi leads by more than 52,000 votes at 19th round
“I am 'Man of the Match' of this game because I contested the election in Mamata Banerjee's stronghold and got more than 25,000 votes. I will continue doing the hard work,” she said.
According to last available reports, the BJP leader has managed to win 26,320 against Banerjee’s 58832 votes. The TMC supremo is well on her way to break her own victory record margin.
‘Khela hobe’ (game on) has been The Trinamool Congress' campaign slogan since the April-May election.
Earlier in the day, Tibrewal wrote to the Calcutta High Court apprehending violence following the announcement of election results and had sought the court's intervention in the matter.
Also read | No victory celebrations after counting of votes: EC tells Bengal govt
By-election to the Bhabanipur seat was help along with three other constituencies, including two in Bengal – Jangipur and Samserganj – and Pipili in Odisha on October 30.
Tibrewal had levelled allegations of booth rigging at a polling centre during the day, but the election commission had said there a delay in the booth due to a mock poll drive and rejected her concerns.
Several top BJP functionaries, including several central top leaders, had campaigned for Tibrewal in the run-up to the election.
The election was a must-win for Banerjee to retain her chief minister's post as she had lost the April-May Assembly election from Nandigram against her aide-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram.
Her party had, however, romped back to power for the third straight term.
The Bhabanipur election was won by Trinamool leader Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay who then vacated the seat for Banerjee to ensure her way to the Assembly.
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