Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday accused BJP leaders Jagannath Sarkar and Nisith Pramanik of ‘dishonouring’ the people’s verdict by choosing to retain their parliamentary seats. He also predicted that in the upcoming bypolls Trinamool will make a 4-0 sweep.

“Winning BJP candidates Jagannath Sarkar and Nisith Pramanik resigned as MLAs even after being elected by people. They dishonoured the verdict of people to retain parliamentary berths. The BJP is seeking votes again in those two seats. They will be rejected by people,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

He pointed out that the bypolls in Gosaba and Khardah were necessitated due to the deaths of Trinamool Congress leaders but the bypolls in Shantipur and Dinhata were thrusted upon the electorates.

He also attacked the BJP by saying that the party is trying to win the Shantipur bypolls riding on the issue of recent communal violence in Bangladesh. “The BJP state president (Sukanta Majumdar) has said that his party will win by-elections in Shantipur because of the violence in Bangladesh. Isn’t he ashamed? You (Majumdar) are trying to gain political mileage out of communal violence in Bangladesh where Hindus were tortured,” Banerjee said.

He also applauded West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee claiming that she has risen as the ‘undisputed leader’ all over the country. Banerjee expressed confidence that the TMC will defeat the BJP government in Tripura in the upcoming elections and condemned the alleged attack on Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev when she was on a visit to Agartala. He said that with the TMC making forays into Goa and Tripura, the party is rising as an alternative to the PM Modi government in the Centre.

He also took a jibe at the Congress and Left Front saying that voting for these parties is akin to pressing the NOTA (none of the above) button in the EVM machine. He said voting for them will also strengthen the ‘hands of the BJP’.

Bypolls will be held in Gosaba, Dinhata, Khardaha and Shantipur on October 30. Dinhata seat will go into polls as Lok Sabha MP and Union minister Nisith Pramanik vacated it. He won by 57 seats in a close contest earlier this year during the polls. Jagannath Sarkar also did not quit his Lok Sabha seat despite winning from Shantipur. The deaths of Kajal Sinha and Jayanta Naskar necessitated the bypolls in Gosaba and Khardaha.