Kolkata: Buoyed by landslide victory in the recently held civic elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may call for state assembly elections in the month of November eight months ahead of the schedule date of June 2016.
There is intense speculation within political circles, specially going by the way the state government declared the civic polls. “She had declared the poll dates suddenly which caught many of us by surprise. The dates were chosen in a way which clash with the party congress and hence many of our top leadership were unable to campaign. It won’t be surprising if she suddenly announces assembly elections,” said Rupa Bagchi former leader of the CPM in the Kolkata Municipality.
However, the main intention of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is to outfox its former number two Mukul Roy, who is said to be all set to join the BJP.
“There is speculation but how do we know. If he (Roy) intends to join BJP it’s his choice. But the recent polls have shown that it’s Mamata who is the central figure and singular vote catcher. No one is indispensable,” said Partha Chatterjee, state education minister.
Sources within the TMC indicate that if elections are to be advanced it will be done with the idea to upset Roy’s plans of trying to build a party base for the saffron outfit.
“If he joins the BJP, his singular mandate will be to establish a cadre base for the party before the assembly elections. However for that he would need time and we are not willing to give him the time to weaken our party and will do all that it takes,” said a TMC core committee member.
However, it is still uncertain whether Roy will be able to shift base, as reports suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unwilling to welcome him though he has the support of the party president Amit Shah.
“It will be a tough pill for BJP to swallow. The party had accused him as one of the principal conspirators in the Saradha scam. If he now joins BJP it will be difficult for them to explain. On the other hand the party has realised that without a organisational base it does not even have a fighting chance in the assembly election. The party has to weigh in its options,” said Sumit Dasgupta a political observer.
All eyes are now of the Central Bureau of Investigations tasked by the Supreme Court to investigate the biggest financial scam in the history of the state. The agency is expected to file a charge sheet with the apex court anytime soon. If it does not name Roy then the possibility of him shifting loyalty would be imminent and the state would see another election this year.
