For the BJP winning West Bengal became more than a prestige issue. The sensitive Bengalis resented the infamous ‘Baag Mamata Baag,’ ‘Run Mamata Run,’ charade by Sidhartha Nath Singh, the minder of BJP in a 2016 electoral meeting. Despite high hopes, Bengal voters forgave the Scams and the Syndicates of TMC vis-à-vis the prospect of a virtually alien force, the BJP, ruling them from Delhi. A milder BJP State President Rahul Sinha was replaced with an RSS Pracharak and hardliner Dilip Ghosh, as was Kailash Vijayvargiya as the BJP minder for Bengal.
Political Battles were soon becoming sharper and vicious. If the BJP capitalized on the scams of TMC party the Rose Valley, Narada and Sarada to name a few, Mamata steered clear, still carrying her clean image. Bengal voters believed what they saw, a cotton-saree-clad simple woman with flipflops, living in a poor locality and a modest house. Brand Mamata sustained.
In 2017 Modi Government demonetized the Rs. 500 and Rs.1000 currency notes. The demonetization dented the financial power of many opposition political parties, including the TMC. She relied on the demonetization to take on the NDA, but her reactions were often unparliamentary.
Unlike many other states, political defections in West Bengal were few and far between. The optimism of BJP in the Assembly election win punctured, the national party focussed on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The had a prize catch, of Mukul Roy, who was one of the founders of the Trinamool party and a confidante of Mamata. None knew the booth-wise Bengal politics more than Mukul, but he was unhappy about thrusting Abhishek Banerjee the nephew of Mamata Banerjee over his shoulders. Mukul quit TMC to join BJP in September 2017. He can be credited for the win of many of the seats by the BJP in the 2019 LS elections. However, Mukul is now distraught with the state BJP leadership side-lining him.
Mamata’s Mega Rally in Kolkata on 19 January 2019 brought an unprecedented 20 BJP opposing parties. Mamata was convinced of a Modi-BJP defeat. Her advisors convinced Mamata as the would-be PM of India, rebranded her for a pan-India image, tutoring her even to address in Hindi. Her focus was diverted from the State, as she began touring and networking with possible allies across the country.
Modi and his alliance, with no corruption charges, returned with a massive mandate in 2019, arguably after a successful air attack at Balakot in February 2019, in response to terrorists attack against the Security Forces in Pulwama. Close to their winning the second term in the Parliament, the BJP appointed Jagdeep Dhankar as the Governor of West Bengal to replace a more docile Keshari Nath Tripathi who began nit-picking on the State Government.
For Mamata, CPM was no more the bête noire as she frantically wanted the committed Left cadres to support her. Despite any tacit understanding, the Left cadres may have quietly voted in favour of the BJP in the 2019 elections. BJP of its own had no chance to increase their vote tally from a 10.16% in 2016 Assembly elections to 40.14% in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
My statement would be either proven or disproven in nine months from now.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
In pic: the mega rally that deflected Mamata!
Continued….5, the countdown
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KOLKATA, INDIA JANUARY 2: L-R Trinamool Congress TMC chairperson and CM Mamata Banerjee during launch of two new campaign logo Didir Suraksha Kawach and Didir Doot at Nazrul Mancha on January 2, 2023 in Kolkata, India. With an eye on West Bengal panchayat polls due this year, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday launched a new campaign Didir Suraksha Kavach to reach out to the people. Photo by Samir Jana/Hindustan Times West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Launches Two New Campaign Logo Didir Suraksha Kawach And Didir Doot PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxIND
