MAMATA NOW SET TO TAKE THE FIGHT OVER VACCINE TO CENTRE
Mamata Banerjee secured a landslide victory for her Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly election, decimating the challenge posed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but confusion prevailed about the outcome of Nandigram, the prestige fight.
A three-member Trinamool delegation was understood to have met the Chief Electoral Officer at the Election Commission office in Kolkata asking for a recount in Nandigram even as Banerjee's protege turned adversary Suvendu Adhikari tweeted thanking the people of Nandigram for their "love, trust, blessings and support" and for choosing him as their representative. He even tweeted a results annexure that showed a winning margin of 1,736 votes.
However, the vote count would have to be verified with VVPAT. If Banerjee loses Nandigram, she would have to get re-elected in six months. In the high-stakes 294-seat election, however, the Trinamool Congress dished out its best-ever performance with leads in 216 seats and a vote share at 48 per cent, as Bengal shrugged off allegations of “cut money” and corruption levelled against the incumbent by the Opposition.
“This is Bengal’s victory and victory of the people. They talked about a double engine government, but I said, we will get a double century. And you know what has happened,” Banerjee said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Banerjee and said the Centre would continue to extend all possible support to the West Bengal government. He also tweeted, “I would like to thank my sisters and brothers of West Bengal who have blessed our party. From a negligible presence earlier, BJP’S presence has significantly increased. BJP will keep serving the people.”
The BJP made huge gains from its performance in the Assembly election of 2016, but fell far short of its own projection of 200 seats, even as its central leadership — from Modi to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, central ministers and CMS from states ruled by the party — flew in and out for the campaign.
The BJP’S performance peaked in the Lok Sabha election of 2019 and its vote share surged to 40.64 per cent with the seat tally at 18. The surge indicated that Bengal could be headed for poriborton (change).
Even though the BJP has lost vote share since then, the mandate reconfirmed that the fight in Bengal was now completely bipolar — between the BJP and the TMC — as the Left Front-congress-isf alliance fell flat.
Political analysts pointed out that in Malda, Murshidabad, and North Dinajpur, minority votes had almost entirely shifted to the Trinamool from the Congress.
“The last three phases, the Trinamool gained more than expected due to Covid mismanagement by the Centre. It seems there was a swing in favour of the TMC,” said an analyst. About 114 seats went to vote in the last three phases across Malda, Murshidabad, Dinajpur, Kolkata (South & North), Bardhaman and Birbhum. The notable Trinamool turncoats who had joined the BJP ahead of the elections, lost. “Partially, this is also a mandate for Banerjee’s welfare schemes,” said an analyst.
Banerjee’s next task is cut out, too, and that is to manage the rising Covid cases in the state. She said that she would lead a movement against the Centre for free vaccines.