Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged electors to remember her face and cast their votes in favour of the Trinamul Congress in the Lok Sabha elections as the chief minister virtually sought to pitch herself as the candidate in all 42 constituencies in Bengal.
“Amar mukh ta monay korben r ekta kore vote deben (Remember my face once and cast one vote),” said the Trinamul chairperson during an election campaign rally at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district.
Introducing Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, an MLA whom Trinamul fielded in the Cooch Behar constituency against BJP MP Nisith Pramanik, Mamata said: “I have always kept my word.... Ask the youths, the women and all others about how I delivered on my promises. Only Trinamul can fight against the BJP’s misrule.”
Observers feel Mamata is banking on her clean image to counter the BJP’s campaign that Trinamul leaders are enmeshed in corruption.
“No charge of corruption has been levelled against her from any quarter and she still enjoys immense popularity across the state. At a time when the BJP and other political parties are attacking Trinamul on corruption, this seems to be a smart move,” said a political observer.
While campaigning for the Assembly elections in 2016, Mamata had said she was the candidate in all 294 constituencies.
Ahead of the Assembly polls in 2021, Mamata had said: “This is my vote. You needn’t see who the candidate is, Trinamul makes MLAs. You stand in my support.”
At the Mathabhanga rally, Mamata was critical of Nisith, the sitting Cooch Behar MP and the Union minister of state for home affairs.
“He has several cases pending against him. We have all details. It is a shame that they (BJP) couldn’t find a better Rajbanshi youth or a Scheduled Caste youth,” she said.
Mamata also touched on an emotive issue in the border areas — the alleged highhandedness of the BSF.
“If the BJP wants to intimidate the voters here by using the BSF and other central security forces, I would ask the women to file complaints with police,” she said. Later in the day, Mamata spoke at a second public meeting in Malbazar of Jalpaiguri. She referred to Sunday’s storm and her immediate arrival in north Bengal.
The chief minister said the Election Commission of India had not granted permission to the administration to rebuild houses in the storm-affected areas.
On Wednesday, the state had written to the ECI, seeking permission to start construction of the houses, she had said. “The permission has not reached the state administration so far, but the administration is ready to do its job,” said Mamata.
