One of the takeaways from the Trinamul Congress’s list of candidates for Bengal for the forthcoming parliamentary polls is a discernible effort to bridge the subterranean differences between its two top leaders. There has been speculation about a growing chasm between Mamata Banerjee and the heir apparent, Abhishek Banerjee, and the TMC’s electoral preparation, it was argued, was being hobbled on account of these differences. But with Mr Banerjee being allowed to take centre stage at the party’s rally in Calcutta on Sunday, from where the names of candidates were announced with a touch of innovation, it was evident that the TMC is striving to bridge the gap at the top. There were other revelations as well. It seems that the TMC would be relying on a combination of welfare pledges — ‘Didi’s guarantees’ — and cultural exceptionalism to see it through in what appears to be a stern electoral challenge, especially after the unveiling of the horrors at Sandeshkhali. But here too, the Opposition has been given a chance to call the TMC’s bluff: some of the TMC’s candidates, including the former cricketer, Yusuf Pathan, cannot really lay claim on the son-of-the-soil tag. It also remains to be seen whether the TMC has a plan to neutralise the allegations of rampant corruption under its watch.

Given the TMC’s decision to announce its list of candidates unilaterally, the real question though concerns the fate of the Opposition alliance in Bengal. Does INDIA exist — even on paper — in Bengal? The tardiness of the Congress’s central leadership to finalise an alliance along with the visceral opposition to such an understanding by its state unit had riled the TMC leadership. Then there is the Left, with which the TMC has a historic feud. Bengal was meant to be a test of both the nimbleness and the political acumen of the INDIA leadership. As things stand now and notwithstanding the Congress’s claims of the door being open for negotiations, it appears that INDIA has floundered in this examination. A three-way contest among the TMC, the Bharatiya Janata Party and, possibly, a Left-Congress combination appears to be the most likely outcome in this state. INDIA’s inability to stand united in Bengal would have ramifications in other states too, most notably in Kerala where the Left and the Congress have had their horns locked for decades. This does not augur well for the Opposition.