Purba Medinipur, March 28: After Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that the BJP will win 26 out of the 30 seats in the first phase of West Bengal assembly polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday took a jibe at him saying whether the former has entered the electronic voting machine (EVM).

She further said that TMC will win in the assembly polls, adding that "outsiders cannot rule Bengal". "Home Minister said they will win 26 out of 30 seats where voting took place in the first phase. Have you (Amit Shah) entered the EVM? Why did not you say BJP will win 30 of the 30 seats. Let us wait for May 2. TMC will win. Outsiders cannot rule Bengal.

"They (BJP) have a lot of money so they are trying to purchase people. Modi is taking land. He will snatch away everything as Adani is his friend. Chase away outsiders and BJP like you chased away CPI(M)," added the chief minister. West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021: Mind Games Won't Work, This is Bengal, Says MP Derek O'Brien to Amit Shah.

Banerjee's remark comes against the backdrop of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that BJP will win 26 of the 30 seats that went for polls on Saturday during the first phase.

"After discussions with booth level workers and party leaders, I can say out of 30 seats in West Bengal we will win more than 26 seats. We have got clear indications that BJP will win more than 37 seats out of 47 seats in Assam," Shah told media persons in Delhi.

The Chief Minister further said that she will continue staying in Nandigram till the polling ends there on April 1. Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest of West Bengal elections with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year. Adhikari had earlier said that BJP will defeat Banerjee by over 50,000 votes from Nandigram.

The polling in Nandigram will take place on April 1, in the second phase of the upcoming Assembly elections. Meanwhile, the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout on Saturday. West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021: Colour Containing 'Harmful Chemical' Allegedly Thrown at Locket Chatterjee in Hooghly; BJP MP Blames TMC.

In the first phase, 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur went to polls to decide on the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women.

Now the remaining seven phases for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held on different dates with the final round of voting scheduled on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 2.

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