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Bengal Panchayat polls verdict: What Mamata's win and BJP's inroads mean for 2019 polls

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Romita Datta
Romita DattaMay 18, 2018 | 21:14

Bengal Panchayat polls verdict: What Mamata's win and BJP's inroads mean for 2019 polls

In Mamata Banerjee's Bengal, all parties combined in the Opposition are not even half way close to what the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has achieved. Yet, there are niggling worries that cannot be overlooked when the mother of all elections — Lok Sabha 2019 — is just around the corner.

The Trinamool has virtually secured large swathes of rural Bengal, with 20,739 Gram Panchayats out of 31,814, 90 per cent Panchayat Samitis and 95 per cent Zilla Parishads of three-tier village administrative seats falling in its kitty. The BJP, the Left, the Congress and the Independents have cobbled together 9,000-odd Gram Panchayats.

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Mamata was happy with the results, but not without a twinge of discomfort: the BJP is in the second position, though a distant second, and is pacing up fast, especially for making some impressive footprints in the tribal belt of Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum and West Midnapore.

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In 2018, Didi is hoping to play the lead role since she believes hers would be the third largest party in the Lok Sabha. Photo: PTI

The saffron party's inroads into the tribal belt of Jangalmahal (in western Bengal) and three districts of North Bengal is disturbing for the ruling party because such areas will send five to six MPs to the Lok Sabha. Mamata, on the other hand, was looking to sweep 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. Anything less than that would make her a less eligible candidate to stake claim to the topmost post in the country.

In fact, she is hoping to play a lead role in the 2019 elections based on the premise that hers would be the third largest party in the Lok Sabha, now that AIADMK has been split. The more the number of seats she secures for her party, the higher the chances of having a say or calling the shots in a federal coalition.

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Coming back to Bengal, with the winds of change beginning to blow in the tribal belt, Mamata was quick to read that her party is being rejected and her social welfare schemes — rice at Rs 2 a kilo, kanyashree, yuvashree, cycles for schoolgoing students, et al — failed to create much stir after the initial euphoria.

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BJP president Amit Shah has also charted out the next course for his party men: destination Bengal. Photo: PTI

She had held two things responsible for the growth of the BJP in Bengal's tribal zones: one, the Maoists are once again active in the regions and are using the BJP as a shield; two, since the western part of Bengal is close to the BJP-ruled Jharkhand, the saffron party is naturally reaping benefits in the form of human and other resources.

Mamata also feels that the BJP-ruled Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states, with which her state shares close proximity, are largely responsible for the saffron wave. She has promised to give special attention to the grievances of the tribals to make amends. Not bad, considering the tribals’ concerns are being not being heard.

The tribals, too, are driven by herd mentality in much the same way other minority communities vote. Therefore, not making timely amends could prove dangerous.

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That apart, the emergence of Independents as a crucial force winning 1,779 Gram Panchayats — 700 more than the Congress — is causing worry for political parties.

Who are these people who braved all odds to leave a mark? Mamata thinks they are the aggrieved Trinamool supporters who can be wooed back. The Left, the Congress and the BJP have silently supported them in many places by not going into any contest with them, but that — in no way — establishes that the favour will be returned.

According to political pundits, the new breed of Independents is an emerging class that is organising the disjointed, disgruntled and dissatisfied voices of the masses on a platform, which could indeed shake the political system.

In the given scenario, the BJP state unit leader has said that the saffron party is eyeing the first place. The party president Amit Shah has also charted out the next course for his cadres: destination Bengal. The distance between the two men is huge, but Shah is enthused about the plunge.

Mamata is a little worried for some of her bastions have begun to show cracks and if not mended on time, the cracks will turn into huge ravines, threatening to engulf her.

Last updated: May 18, 2018 | 21:14
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