Hindu-Muslim division was done, votes were divided: Mamata Banerjee on TMC's performance in the LS polls

Declaring that she did not want to continue as chief minister, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Saturday attributed her poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls to the "division" of Hindu-Muslims votes.

"I said at the beginning of the meeting that I don't want to continue as the Chief Minister. I trying hard to convince my party," she told the meeting after a meeting of her party leaders called to discuss the reverses in the elections.

Banerjee said the central forces worked against her party.

"An emergency situation was created. Hindu-Muslim division was done and votes were divided. We complained to the Election Commission of India (EC) but nothing was looked into," she said.

The Chief Minister alleged that a bribe of Rs 5000 was given to each family. "I still believe BJP has a lot of money," she said.

In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, TMC could win only 22 of the 34 Lok Sabha seats it had won in 2014. The BJP made deep inroads in the state this election by winning 18 states.