The Trinamul dispensation in Calcutta this week advised all its elected representatives, particularly its MLAs, to launch individual virtual platforms ahead of the panchayat polls next year.
Party insiders said that the directive had been spurred by the reported success of the chief minister’s 2021 Didi Ke Bolo outreach, through which citizens could call a dedicated helpline to get their queries answered ahead of the Assembly polls.
“This is the age of the smartphone. It is necessary to have avenues for political outreach that are up to date with people’s expectations and busy lifestyles,” said party national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy.
“We are not specifying what they (the legislators) should do, it could be anything: a Whatsapp number, a barcode, a website...,” he added.
A representative who has started such an initiative is Gopalpur-Rajarhat MLA Aditi Munshi with the Vidhayak Ke Bolo Whatsapp texting helpline.
Rashbehari MLA Debashish Kumar has a QR code.
“In this day and age, we can’t reach every last doorstep without such initiatives,” he explained.
Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee too has the Ek Daak-e Abhishek helpline, which at launch cited Didi Ke Bolo as inspiration.
“Our party’s victory in 2021 has set the tenor for where we want to go over the next few years. 2019 may be perceived as a hiccup, when BJP won 18 seats in our state. So this campaign is an effort to right the slip-ups we may have made back then,” said a senior party leader in Calcutta.
Party sources also said the panchayat polls next year would prove a crux to the Trinamul-versus-BJP narrative taking shape in Bengal over the past few years.
“Our effort is to ensure that it is all upwards from here, and impeccable outreach is a part of that,” the leader added.
Trinamul sources added that the directives to representatives included the recruitment of a technical support and back-up team.
The BJP’s perceived surge in Bengal in the 2019 general elections was buttressed by victories in North Bengal and Jungle Mahal districts in particular. Trinamul party workers had chalked the losses up to poor outreach.
