Didi, what a show!

The elections results are pouring in, but the indications are clear. It is the BJP for Assam and Puducherry, DMK for Tamil Nadu, LDF for Kerala. But the most watched and thrilling fight have been in West Bengal, where the TMC supremo has succeeded in retaining her government and style. The clear strategic winner is Prasant Kishor, who dared the BJP to quit as a consultant and strategist to political parties.

None have made any whisper of malfunctioning or hacked EVMs. The polls in Bengal were in eight phases, under the probing eyes of the Central forces. The other pet Central agencies like the ED, CBI duly overplayed their roles with raids, arrests, summoning for appearances, questioning and giving media bytes. The hugely funded social media of the BJP went berserk, taunting and teasing the TMC supremo, Mamata Didi.  For the Centre, it was a one-sided game; they were playing as well as refereeing.

Bengalis, for ages, have been fiercely independent, often rebelling against outside influence over their well-entrenched beliefs and culture. The cry of ‘Jai Sri Ram’ by the BJP supporters was hardly anything to do with devotion. It was a battle cry, a taunt by the BJP. For the silent Bengali bhodroloks, the gentry, BJP was a confusion. Will they be able to retain their identity, which they all along believed as separate and superior to anyone else’s in India. A status quo was the better alternative for them, as they shunned the BJP. They abhorred the idea of BJP filled with deserters from the TMC.

The other thing that did it in for the BJP was their over-confident, ever since they won the 18 Lok Sabha seats. If the voters had decided to send the BJP representatives to Lok Sabha, it would not automatically repeat the gesture for the Assembly elections. Many MPs, Babul Supriyo, Locket Chatterjee, are trailing, and the wins by a few others are by thin margins.

BJP did not quite have local faces to lead. Dilip Ghosh was clearly below par. His take on the TMC and Mamata may not have gone well with the voters. Mamata played her trump card, writing to all political leaders seeking their support to end the mighty onslaught of Modi. It may have resulted in both the Congress and the Left diverting their votes favouring the TMC candidates.  As I write this post, the TMC is leading in 206 seats and the BJP in 83. The Left and others leading in 2 seats each fortify my comment.

The win for Mamata is special, though her personal win at Nandigram is still not confirmed. With the Congress decimated and the Left restricted to Kerala, Mamata is catapulted as the tallest opposition leader to take on Modi. Her political importance has grown manifold. The results might also see a return of her nephew Abhishek as a powerful force in the TMC party. I hope Mamata tries to eliminate corrupt faces from her government and matures to take the Centre’s help for the progress of West Bengal.

Democracy has won! I am eating humble pies.

Sampath Kumar

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