A day before voting for the unprecedented 8-phase Bengal elections, chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Facebook account was flooded with messages of support from across the country, undoubtedly a huge morale booster for Didi as she faces the toughest election of her political career.
It all began on Friday with Mamata posting a homage to Ananda Shankar, accompanied by a picture of hers with the late musician. “Fondly remembering notable musician Ananda Shankar on his death anniversary.”
The flood of responses must have surprised her too. “Didi that you are the best will be proved again,” wrote Dipak Kumar Das, a private sector employee from Haldia.
Not all those who responded were from Bengal. Like Dipak Singh Virpura Solanki, a native from Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, who urged those in Bengal to make “Mamata didi victorious.” There were over 500 messages and comments till Thursday evening, and these were from across the country _ Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Assam and more.
There was a congratulatory message came from Dhaka as well, where the country’s 50th Independence Day is being observed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a host of overseas dignitaries, in attendance.
The message from Gujarat would have sounded especially sweet to Mamata for earlier in the day Modi had tweeted in Bengali about his arrival at Dhaka, his first trip abroad since the Coronavirus outbreak of last year.
On Friday, Mamata campaigned in Debra, Chandrakona and Daspur, all in West Midnapore district, which will go to polls in the second phase on April 1. According to Trinamul sources, Mamata is likely to stay on in Nandigram, from where she is contesting the polls this time, till the second phase is over.
The 2021 state Assembly election is arguably the toughest that Mamata is facing ever since she wrested power from the CPM in 2011. Despite the Saradha scam and the Narada sting operation happening in her first term as chief minister, Didi remained the electoral favourite.
Mamata received the first jolt two years back when the BJP bagged 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and was no longer a distant pretender but a formidable force to reckon with. One of the foremost reasons behind a large section of the Bengal electorate taking refuge under the saffron flag was recurring instances of assaults and atrocities against Trinamul Congress’s opponents, especially in rural Bengal, which peaked during the 2018 panchayat polls where Trinamul won 34 per cent of the total seats uncontested. Voters hit back with a resounding win for the BJP, a year later, where the party won only four Lok Sabha seats less than the Trinamul.
Since then, the BJP has been trying to expand its support and has successfully lured 24 MLAs, three MPs and several other leaders into its fold. Many of the leaders who switched camps from the Trinamul were handpicked by Mamata from various walks of life, including sports. These days, Mamata has been forced to devote time to explain to the voters about the “Mirzafars” in her public meetings.
The 30 Assembly seats, which go to polls on Saturday, had turned into Mamata’s bastion five years ago, when she swept the polls winning all but three. However, in the Lok Sabha polls, BJP led in 20 of these seats giving the party a firm foothold, thereby emerging as the strongest challenger to Mamata, and reducing the Left-Congress combine to a bit player.
Areas like Binpur, Nayagram, Gopiballabhpur, Jhargram, Baghmundi, Balarampur, Bandwan, Jaipur, Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur, Para, Raghunathpur, Raipur, Ranibandh, Chhatna and Saltora is where till a decade ago, Maoists called the shots. Erosion of the CPM’s support in these largely tribal belts had cost the party dearly and came in handy for Trinamul.
This is the first time since the 2011 election of “Poriborton” in Bengal that Mamata is facing a real challenge. She launched populist schemes like Swasthya Sathi, Khelasree, Samabyathi and Baitarani, all in her second term.
Will these be enough for Mamata to counter the BJP’s political and financial might?
