Trinamool Congress (TMC) called a meeting of its newly elected MLAs and senior leaders in Kalighat, Kolkata on Wednesday. Party chief and Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata BanerjeeAlong with party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, he addressed the gathering to decide the direction of the party after the election setback.Addressing the meeting, outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee struck a conciliatory tone, calling for a symbolic protest and emphasizing her intention to remain in office. She said that she will not resign from the post of CM and will wait for the Governor’s dismissal. Urging his party members to protest against what he claimed was a “black day”, he asked them to wear black clothes on the first day of the West Bengal Assembly.“Team India is united now after Bengal. I will not resign. Let them sack me. I want it to be a black day. We have to be strong. On the first day of the Assembly, wear black clothes. Those who betrayed will be removed from the party. I am laughing. I defeated them morally. I am a free bird. I worked for everyone. We may lose, but we will fight. HM and PM are directly involved,” he said, according to the news agency. ANI said citing TMC sources.He also alleged widespread malpractices and intimidation during the elections and claimed that several party officials were targeted.Sources said, “Those who lost were forcefully defeated. I condemn the West Bengal Police, CRPF, the Chief Electoral Officer with BJP ideology and the ECI. More than 1500 party offices were captured. I was manhandled. I was having pain in the chest. This was not an election but an atrocity.”After the meeting, the party posted about it on its official X account. In a post on X, it said the aim of the Kalighat meeting was to motivate its leadership cadre. It said Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee “instilled in him the clarity, confidence, conviction and a new sense of purpose to continue the good fight.”“Our chairperson Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee addressed a meeting with our leaders in Kalighat, instilling in them clarity, confidence, conviction and a new sense of purpose to continue the good fight. Whether in power or not, our commitment to serve the people of Bengal remains firm. We will stand with them and continue to protest,” the statement said. BJPTyranny and oppression are in full force.”According to the statement, the meeting focused on strengthening unity, responding to alleged irregularities during the elections and outlining the party’s political strategy going forward.TMC further said it would continue to oppose “BJP’s atrocities and oppression”, indicating an aggressive opposition role, even if it regroups after the election results.