Read Editorial with D2G – Ep 533
Mamata’s march: On West Bengal CM’s win
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The victory of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur by-poll in West Bengal has come as no surprise but the margin ( the edge or border of something ) of the victory and the little resistance ( the refusal to accept or comply with something ) put up by the Opposition parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party have come as a shot in the arm for the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Ms Banerjee’s record winning margin of 58,832 votes is more than twice the margin of victory secured by the TMC candidate at the same constituency, located in the heart of Kolkata, five months ago in the State’s Assembly polls. The ruling party won all the three seats that went to the polls on September 30 in the State. In Jangipur, the margin of victory for the TMC candidate was over 92,000 votes and at Samserganj, the Trinamool Congress nominee won by over 26,000 votes.
In two out of three seats, the BJP was the main opposition to the TMC but in Samserganj, the Congress nominee secured about 70,000 votes, pushing the BJP to the third position. Though Ms. Banerjee could not win the Nandigram seat in the Assembly election early this year, her decision to contest ( an event in which people compete for supremacy in a sport or other activity, or in a quality ) that seat considerably boosted her party. With her election as an MLA just in time to meet the six month deadline, Ms. Banerjee has capped ( provide a fitting climax or conclusion to ) her party’s impressive victory in May.
The outcomes also reinforce ( strengthen or support (an object or substance), especially with additional material ) her positioning as a leader who has the gumption ( shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness ) to confront the BJP that had left no stone unturned in its attempt to unseat her. The BJP stands further tamed ( make less powerful and easier to control ) after the by-poll outcomes. It put up a political greenhorn, Priyanka Tibrewal, to contest against the charismatic ( exercising a compelling charm which inspires devotion in others ) and popular Ms. Banerjee.
The West Bengal BJP, which found it difficult to get the right candidates to contest against TMC nominees in the Assembly polls, continues to grapple ( struggle to deal with or overcome (a difficulty or challenge)) with the same challenge five months later. The BJP central leadership stayed away from the campaign unlike earlier this year. The State leaders of the party were no match to the Trinamool Congress, in strategy or popularity.
The State unit of the BJP was hoping that the Election Commission of India (ECI) may not announce the polls within the six-month deadline that the Chief Minister had to meet. Apparently taken by surprise, they spent time challenging the ECI decision in the courts rather than campaigning on the ground. The TMC government’s focus on cash transfer and other welfare schemes continues to draw the support of the electorate ( the area represented by one Member of Parliament ), while the issues of violence and corruption raised by the BJP did not strike a chord ( an individual emotion or disposition ) with them.
The results also point to the continuing resistance to the BJP’s polarising ( restrict the vibrations of (a transverse wave, especially light) wholly or partially to one direction ) tactics ( an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end ) in West Bengal, and the party’s difficulty in tailoring a politics that is suitable for the region.
