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Local poll results derail Mamata

Rifat Jawaid in Calcutta

Congress' unexpected wins and the Left's dominance over a large swathe of rural West Bengal in the just-concluded civic polls is a major setback for Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamul Congress.

The results indicate that rural Bengal is not impressed with the Union railway minister's party. Eight civic bodies of 79, wasn't exactly what Mamata was expecting.

The first signs of trouble came during the assembly by-elections in February. Of three seats, her candidates lost in Seuri and Navagram, while the other was placed a poor third even in Binpur, Midnapore, supposedly a Mamata stronghold. Interestingly, Congress-supported JKP (Naren) candidate Chunibala Hansda won there.

The setbacks forced the firebrand leader to call for a mahajot, a grand alliance of all non-Left parties.

But as she was not ready to sever ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress refused to join her.

Insiders in Trinamul say she actually has a bigger gameplan.

According to them, she is not perturbed by the party's dwindling popularity in south Bengal. What is bothering her is the party's inability to break the Left's sway in the north. She was hoping that West Bengal Congress chief A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury would be able to garner the crucial minority vote in this region.

However, Mamata's recent allegations that Chowdhury had 'immorally exploited' her name to ensure victory in the Malda civic poll further dampened chances of a Trinamul-Congress tie-up. Ironically, Chowdhury was the first to respond to her mahajot call.

Now, Mamata has said that there is no question of a grand alliance with the Congress in future.

Signs of frustration were evident from her statement on May 31. She claimed that the Congress had only won 10 seats, while the Trinamul had captured nine civic bodies. "Besides, we are the decisive factor in 21 hung houses, making our tally 30," she remarked.

However, going by official results, Mamata's party led only in Gobardanga.

Even her much-touted honeymoon with the BJP suffered a major setback ahead of the Salt Lake municipal poll. Trinamul candidates are locked in a direct contest with BJP nominees in 23 places. Her animosity with former BJP state chief Tapan Sikdar is known.

She is also facing a revolt within her party over distribution of tickets for the Calcutta civic elections, later this month. Her decision to project Subrata Mukerjee, a Congress defector, as Trinamul's mayoral candidate has drawn flak from trusted lieutenants like Pankaj Banerjee and Sovandeb Chattopaddhyay.

She has repeatedly said that the 2001 assembly polls would see the Left's demise in West Bengal. But if current trends are any yardstick, Mamata's dream of taking over Writers' Building will have to wait.

Instead, it could well be a rejuvenated Congress which may challenge the Left's dominance. Ironically, the Trinamul's decline will benefit the Left more than the Congress.

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