Kolkata: With elections for five out of six phases complete, and the fate of 269 of 294 assembly seats sealed, Kolkata is gripped by a wave of rumours, that Didi’s TMC (Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress) is losing power and the alliance between the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) and the Congress party is all set to form the next government.
The wave gained momentum especially after the last two-phases of polling on April 25 and 30 where the state police suddenly regained its neutrality and was seen upholding the law and order ensuring a free and fair poll.
“Do you think police is acting tough on TMC without getting a scent of the ground realities,” questioned a police officer. “She [Mamata] has lost and the alliance will come to power,” the officer said. Similar sentiments are being echoed by bureaucrats.
The assembly poll this time is a three-cornered contest. The TMC is keen to prove that despite charges of corruption, scandalss and mis-governance, people are with them. The CPM-Congress combine is fighting for political survival, forcing the two to create an unprecedented alliance, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to prove that it has emerged as a major player in the local polity.
Regardless of rumours, there is hardly any conceivable political challenger to Mamata’s supremacy in the state. In the last five-years there has been a growing disenchantment, especially among the urban voters due to a lack of industrialisation, development, law and order and various scams that her party men got embroiled in. But none has emerged to challenge the TMC leader politically.
“She came into power on the promise of poriborton [change]. But the changes were cosmetic and what mostly changed was the net worth of her party men,” Kingshuk Bose, a citizen, said.
“She has not fulfilled many of her promises, but that does not mean we want the CPM back into power. At least, under her there was some visible movement forward. The city is clean, well lit and roads are pothole free,” said Tridib De.
However, the rhetoric completely changes when one questions the rural voters. Her image has not been sullied by the scams and the flyover collapse. Villagers talk about the increased accessibility to their village due to road widening and construction of new roads. They refer to the Kanyashree programme that provides scholarships to girls after Grade 10. They talk about the Rs2 a kilo rice that the government gives.
“Roads and electricity situation is better than ever. Education avenues have increased. Many of the tribal and rural children have been encouraged and are first-generation students.” said a 60-year-old villager of Birbhum district.
Even if Mamata retains power, as many pollsters believe by a slender margin, her biggest challenge will be to cleanse the party, which is being controlled by strongmen and often corrupt individuals. Also the infighting within, where the TMC has at least three factions fighting for supremacy in every constituency, with ministers fighting live on camera will be another challenge for her. A strong opposition would mean many of these factions joining the coalition or, even worse, backstab the ruling party from within.
Mamata has repeatedly been asking her party leaders to unite even bridging the year-long rift with her long time associate Mukul Roy — preventing him from creating a new party — and even publicly asking party leaders like Saugata Roy not to criticise the party’s decision publicly.
“I am requesting leaders like Saugata Roy and other not to criticise the party publicly as its harms the party. This request is to one and all. Those who want to be with TMC for personal benefit are requested to leave,” Mamata said while launching the TMC poll campaign in presence of all the leaders.
However, she herself knows that the TMC is not out of danger and the biggest enemy lies within and her repeated admonishing may not be enough to sail through.
