This story is from August 19, 2017
In West Bengal, BJP takes up void left by Left, Congress
KOLKATA: Bengal politics is taking a bipolar course with BJP fast occupying the space of the Left and Congress across the state.
The defining trend is evident from the results of the recently held seven civic polls in which Narendra Modi’s party secured a 41.7% vote share in Jalpaiguri’s Dhupguri municipality for the first time, a spectacular jump from the 8.6% share in 2012.
Dhupguri has a sizeable scheduled caste (Rajbanshi) and scheduled tribe population. It is 95km from Naxalbari, where BJP chief Amit Shah in April visited an adivasi family whose members were later forced to join Trinamool. Despite this, BJP has made inroads among Rajbanshis and SC/ST across the seven municipalities.
In terms of vote share, the party is ahead of the Left and Congress taken together in Haldia, Dhupguri and Panskura municipalities, and has come second in Durgapur and Nalhati. Its vote share is the same as that of the Left in Cooper’s Camp. The surge in BJP’s vote share is enough to put to rest the debate over the Left-Congress handholding to keep BJP at bay in Bengal.
Polls held under West Bengal State Election Commission have never been above controversy, and the polls in question are no exception. The opposition’s clamour against rigging by Trinamool gains ground from the 43.4% hike in Trinamool’s vote share in Cooper’s Camp in Nadia compared to 2012, a 38.4% spurt in Haldia and a 26% spike in Durgapur. All these gains can’t be explained by Congress leader Sankar Singh joining Trinamool in Cooper’s Camp and Lakshman Seth leaving CPM in Haldia.
In these places, Trinamool seniors Sankar Singh, Suvendu Adhikari and Aroop Biswas might have taken former CPM leader Anil Basu’s route in Hooghly’s Arambagh that once gave him the highest margins in Lok Sabha votes.
Yet, the Left and Congress can’t hide their eroding base by blaming rigging. Even if Left leaders keep heaping allegations on the Trinamool toughs who had driven out CPM polling agents from booths in Haldia and Durgapur, such a situation was not unforeseen by Alimuddin Street. CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra had appealed to party activists and supporters a day before the polls to stay around the booths and foil efforts to loot votes. With more than 1 lakh party card holders in Bengal, CPM has now come to a stage where it can hold impressive rallies but can’t attract people.
The situation is the reverse for BJP. It has been gaining mass support since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls but doesn’t have able organisers and a credible Bengali face to give the final push to Trinamool.
All these have gone to the advantage of Trinamool that won 140 of the 148 wards, averting the anti-incumbency getting transferred in the EVM. Mamata Banerjee will sail safe with the divided opposition as long as BJP remains a distant second.
Read the story in Malayalam
Dhupguri has a sizeable scheduled caste (Rajbanshi) and scheduled tribe population. It is 95km from Naxalbari, where BJP chief Amit Shah in April visited an adivasi family whose members were later forced to join Trinamool. Despite this, BJP has made inroads among Rajbanshis and SC/ST across the seven municipalities.
In terms of vote share, the party is ahead of the Left and Congress taken together in Haldia, Dhupguri and Panskura municipalities, and has come second in Durgapur and Nalhati. Its vote share is the same as that of the Left in Cooper’s Camp. The surge in BJP’s vote share is enough to put to rest the debate over the Left-Congress handholding to keep BJP at bay in Bengal.
In these places, Trinamool seniors Sankar Singh, Suvendu Adhikari and Aroop Biswas might have taken former CPM leader Anil Basu’s route in Hooghly’s Arambagh that once gave him the highest margins in Lok Sabha votes.
Yet, the Left and Congress can’t hide their eroding base by blaming rigging. Even if Left leaders keep heaping allegations on the Trinamool toughs who had driven out CPM polling agents from booths in Haldia and Durgapur, such a situation was not unforeseen by Alimuddin Street. CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra had appealed to party activists and supporters a day before the polls to stay around the booths and foil efforts to loot votes. With more than 1 lakh party card holders in Bengal, CPM has now come to a stage where it can hold impressive rallies but can’t attract people.
Expand
The situation is the reverse for BJP. It has been gaining mass support since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls but doesn’t have able organisers and a credible Bengali face to give the final push to Trinamool.
Read the story in Malayalam
Top Comment
ptgovindrajan P
2439 days ago
Trinamule Congress was formed by rabble rouser Mamta Banerjee singlehandled as Congress lost its roots to CPI(M) hooliganisms n now both Congress n CPI(M) put together is are unable to total the number of electorate voters gained by BJP once a rootless wonder. For being a simpleton Mamta Banerjee was once upon a time had followers of the calibre of Madhabi Mukherjee a leading actreeses in the halcyon days of Bengali film industry n now has to mingle with the milieu of depreciated actors like Biswajeet Chatterjee a tomboy in erstwhile Bengali film n Hindi film industry n if the state of West Bengal is in shambles economically it is because of the appeasement n holiganisms evolved by incumbent Cheap Minister of West Bengal with educated bengallis workforce unable to get work in n their home state forced to seek a livelihood in singarra chennai n sunder Mumbai aamchi Mumbai n so on, a la biharibabuvaaas,adien.Read allPost comment
Popular from City
- People who cannot maintain peace don’t deserve polls: Calcutta high court
- Will straighten Mamata Banerjee’s goons by hanging them upside down: Amit Shah in Bengal
- No OTP shared or link clicked, but Ahmedabad-based VP loses Rs 4 lakh to cyberfraud
- 'Look between keyboard letters': Delhi Police jump on latest trend, post goes viral
- Tamil Nadu farmers climb towers, protest with 'human skulls' in Delhi
end of article
Expand
Trending Stories
- 'PM trying to mislead people with lies': Priyanka counters attack over 'inheritance tax' remark
- GT vs DC IPL Live
- Infosys 1st co to achieve this certification in AI management: CEO
- UPI IDs are changing on Paytm: How to activate your new UPI ID
- 'Tihar admin cancelled Atishi's visit at last moment': AAP's Sanjay Singh
- 'We are rich people...': Sehwag playfully mocks Gilchrist
- ‘Inconsistency in data’: Why India has objected to ILO report
Visual Stories
- 8 most stunning images captured by the James Webb Telescope
- 10 timeless quotes from Naruto Uzumaki that inspire and motivate
- How to make South Indian-Style Curd Rice at home
- 10 Maharashtrian desserts every foodie should try
- 10 lessons to learn from ‘The Power of Your Subconscious Mind’ by Joseph Murphy
TOP TRENDS
UP NEXT