Lok Sabha 2019: How Amit Shah is desperately trying to wrest Kolkata south seat from TMC

Kolkata south constituency or popularly known as Didi's constituency-cum-home turf is one hot Lok Sabha seat that the BJP is targeting to wrest from the Trinamool Congress in the 2019 general elections.

The party's top boss Amit Shah, however, has pegged at least 22 of the 42 seats from Bengal, which includes the Kolkata South seat as well.

Shah will be in Bengal twice, once on April 8 and 9 and later in the middle of the month. His tour of the state will mainly include giving pep talks to the leaders, especially the youths who are going to be the foot soldiers in the coming elections.

With crucial allies of the NDA falling apart, the BJP is scouting for new areas, which can be tapped. West Bengal is one such area, which is in the party radar because the vote share of the party has seen consistent rise since 2014.   

However, the main reason for pinning all hopes and resources on Kolkata South seat is that the BJP in this particular constituency in 2014 Lok Sabha election occupied the second position trailing behind the winner, Trinamool Congress candidate, Subrata Bakshi, by a margin of two lakh votes. The CPI(M) came third, polling 20,000 seats less than the BJP while the Congress came fourth, polling over one lakh votes.

The BJP believes that a rainbow coalition of parties such as the Trinamool Congress, the Congress and the Left, if it happens at all, will not be acceptable to people, who go by their fixed political ideology.

In fact, such a tie-up against the saffron party will benefit the BJP. The Left had suffered a huge erosion of vote bank in Bengal and the BJP feels there will be a massive swing to the saffron side, if the party ties up with these parties. The more than one lakh votes, which had gone to the Congress kitty as against the Trinamool Congress, can switch to the BJP, if the voters are committed anti-Trinamool Congress.

Moreover, the good number of Gujaratis and non-Bengali population in Bhowanipore constituency and the fact that the BJP got a lead from here in 2014, are stirring up huge expectations.

North Bengal is another area where the BJP will be investing time, manpower and a stellar show. Districts such as Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri have seen growth of the party. In the first leg of the tour, Shah will be camping in North Bengal before flying to Kolkata.

However, reacting sharply to such ambitious numbers, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O' Brien has said that given the prevailing situation in Bengal, the BJP wouldn't even get two seats, leave aside 22. 

In fact the Trinamool Congress MP had also predicted that the BJP would draw blank in Rajasthan, MP and Gujarat. "A big zero", that is what he thinks is awaiting the saffron party in Bengal.                 

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