“If people have trust in us, we will sweep the municipal polls,” she said. “I tell you, within three months, we will have the Assembly elections. We will not have to wait till 2011,” she announced before a huge gathering at Shyambazar five-point crossing on Wednesday evening.

The second largest partner of the UPA also categorically said she has no plans to leave the ruling coalition at the Centre.

“Commitment is commitment,” she said. “We will stay in the alliance as long we get the minimum respect. We are not CPM. We will not leave the UPA unless we are pushed out.”

Banerjee was also restrained in her criticism of the Congress, making it clear that during the campaign, she would not target Congress despite the breach in alliance. She, however, pointed out: “We have won the Lok Sabha elections on our own strength and not on anybody’s mercy. The Congress is not the only party there. There are others like DMK, who too won on their own strength.”

She went on to announce that if the TMC is voted to power, there will be no water tax imposed in Kolkata — there are alternative ways of generating revenue. She also spoke of simplifying the tax structure in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Taking on Mayor Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharjee directly, she said: “As long as he was in the office, he worked part time and practiced law in court to earn money. I do not know how this is legally possible. He ran away from contesting because he knew what the results would be.”

Targeting the CPM, she said in 33 years of Left rule, no great men of Bengal were given due respect. “The CPM once called Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda bourgeoisie.