TMC reappoints Kalyan as Lok Sabha chief whip

Kolkata: Trinamool on Thursday reappointed Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee as the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, replacing Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, during a high-level meeting chaired by party chief Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence, reports Dwaipayan Ghosh.Kalyan had stepped down as chief whip around nine months ago. The meeting, attended by TMC's LS and RS MPs, focused on parliamentary coordination ahead of the upcoming session, while also turning into a sharp attack on BJP and EC.Addressing party MPs, Mamata alleged that the country was passing through a "super emergency" and accused BJP of intimidating opposition voices. Praising Kalyan Banerjee for his appearance during a Calcutta high court hearing earlier in the day, she said: "Congratulations to Kalyan. We fought a good fight. BJP had 100 lawyers present who resorted to chanting slogans." "I wanted to expose them. The situation was like a super emergency, but they will lose in 2029," she said.TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused BJP and central agencies of orchestrating "vote looting" during the election process. He alleged that CAPF personnel forcibly removed TMC agents from counting centres and tore candidates' identity cards. He also questioned alleged discrepancies in EVM serial numbers and Form 17C records, claiming the truth behind the irregularities would "soon surface".