Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday cautioned leaders within the Congress against celebrating the defeat of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of subverting the electoral mandate in both West Bengal and Assam. He said the developments go beyond party rivalry and reflect a deeper challenge to democratic processes in the country.In a message posted on X, Gandhi said any sense of political satisfaction over the TMC’s loss was misplaced and urged party members to look at the larger implications.“Some in the Congress, and others, are gloating about the TMC’s loss. They need to understand this clearly – the theft of Assam and Bengal’s mandate is a big step forward by the BJP in its mission to destroy Indian democracy. Put petty politics aside. This is not about one party or another. This is about India,” he stated.The Congress leader argued that what unfolded in West Bengal and Assam signals a serious distortion of the people’s verdict and called for a united response. He said the focus should not be on inter-party competition but on safeguarding democratic institutions, adding that smaller political differences must be set aside in the present context.He also echoed the position taken by Mamata Banerjee, who has alleged large-scale irregularities in the West Bengal Assembly elections. Referring to her claims, Rahul Gandhi said the scale of the alleged manipulation runs into over 100 seats, and maintained that both West Bengal and Assam point to a pattern.He further alleged that the electoral process had been compromised with institutional backing, stating that the outcomes in the two states raised serious concerns about the conduct of elections. He added that the developments required scrutiny beyond routine political debate.TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had earlier described the election outcome as illegitimate, accusing the BJP of securing victories through unfair means and questioning the role of the Election Commission. She has maintained that the mandate reflected in the results did not correspond with the ground reality.