West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee hinted that she would contest the upcoming assembly polls from two seats. Besides fighting from Bhawanipore, the Kolkata constituency from where she was elected in the last elections, Banerjee said she could also be settling for Nandigram in East Midnapore.
Contesting from two seats simultaneously is a political schtick but the announcement on January 18 is significant. Nandigram happens to be the constituency of her former aide turned bête noire Suvendu Adhikari, who crossed over to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) last month. By taking on Adhikari on his turf, Mamata is throwing a direct challenge to the BJP and Adhikari whose exit from the party was followed by a procession of other TMC leaders to the BJP.
"Nandigram is my elder sister and Bhawanipore is my younger sister. I will give a strong candidate from Bhawanipore also. I may fight from both seats. I am requesting our party general secretary Subrata Bakshi that they should consider my candidature from Nandigram,” Banerjee, said while addressing a public meeting in Nandigram.
In 2016, Banerjee won Bhawanipore, also known as Bhabanipur defeating Congress’ Deepa Dasmunshi by nearly 15,000 votes.
Mamata’s 'masterstroke' or 'political expediency '?
Political analysts were divided about the potential gains for Banerjee from the decision. Some called it a ‘masterstroke’ that has come out of proper planning by the TMC. Others said it is out of political ‘expediency’ for the CM because her chances of retaining her Bhawanipore seat are slim.
“It is a well thought out move. It seems the fight is more between TMC and ex-TMC leaders, now,” Sabir Ahamed, national research coordinator at the Kolkatta-based Pratichi Institute told Moneycontrol.
“Many non-Bengali speaking people from the business class might shift to the BJP this time in Bhawanipore. So Nandigram becomes a safe seat to send a strong message to the opposition,” he said. Pratichi institute is chaired by economist and Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly is still at least a couple of months away — possibly in April-May — but the TMC and BJP have both hit the ground running, engaged in a fierce contest. The saffron party has set a target of 200 seats.
“Mamata di understands that winning the Nandigram, primarily a rural seat would be easy for her than Bhawanipore. This is political expediency,” Amal Mukhopadhyay, political analyst and former principal of Presidency College, now University, told Moneycontrol.
Sources said that political strategist Prashant Kishor is behind the move to take on aggressively against the opposition. Also, Nandigram, a rural seat, has a Muslim population of 34 percent.
In 2016, TMC won the West Bengal election by bagging 211 seats, while the BJP could win just three seats. The Congress and Left had won 76 seats together.
Adhikari, a BJP man now
Adhikari won the Nandigram seat in 2016 as a TMC candidate. The former minister in Banerjee’s cabinet, Adhikari is considered the mascot of Nandigram agitation against land acquisition in 2007 when he was an MLA.
The movement is often cited to have helped Banerjee’s TMC storm to power in the state in 2011, ending the 34-year-long rule of the Left Front government. Adhikari is credited with bringing Left's strongholds - West Midnapore, Bankura, and Purulia into Trinamool’s fold.
Last month, Adhikari quit TMC over his differences over the ‘importance’ being given in the party to the CM’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and joined the BJP.
READ | Why Suvendu Adhikari, who quit TMC and joined BJP, matters in West Bengal politics
Adhikari is seen as a prized catch for the BJP. He hails from a powerful political family that holds sway in the East Midnapore district, including Nandigram. The family has dominated the politics in the region by consistently winning the Lok Sabha and assembly seats and thus strengthening the TMC in the region since the party was formed in 1998.
It is said that the Adhikaris hold sway in at least 63 assembly seats in East Midnapore and neighboring districts—nearly one-fifth of the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal.
Under such circumstances, Mamata contesting from Nandigram against Adhikari will make the election even more interesting.
After Banerjee’s announcement, Adhikari said in a rally that he will defeat the chief minister by more than 50,000 votes from Nandigram or quit politics. "She has done nothing for the people of Nandigram. They will teach her a lesson," he said.
Also read: 10 factors that will impact West Bengal elections
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