TMC to Lean on Raw Cadre Strength for 2025 Bengal Polls
As for the party’s organisational strength, TMC leaders claimed that it has “gone up” over the years as a “huge chunk” of CPI(M) and BJP cadres have crossed over to their ranks
New Delhi: As West Bengal heads into a high-stakes Assembly poll battle in March-April next year, Mamata Banerjee’s ruling Trinamul Congress is banking heavily on its deep-rooted organisational network and raw cadre strength to counter the might of the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah. TMC leaders claim that the BJP, unable to match the TMC’s ground muscle, has begun to “import” workers from Assam, Bihar and Odisha to beef up its presence.
The TMC also apprehends “extensive misuse” of paramilitary forces during the polling. To take on the BJP, the TMC has begun sharpening its attack on two fronts -- the Modi government’s alleged “refusal” to release crucial Central funds for West Bengal's development and what the party calls an attempt to “disenfranchise” voters through the ongoing SIR.
While the TMC is not too keen to join hands with the Congress in the state due to its lack of influence, the party seems to be extremely wary of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. Branding Mr Owaisi as the “BJP’s B team”, the TMC leaders fear that Mr Owaisi’s outfit could cut into a large chunk of Muslim votes in the border areas of the state.
Determined to keep a laser focus on the ongoing SIR process, the TMC has launched a two-tier monitoring system with Booth-Level-Agents (BLA)-BLA-1 and BLA-2. The BLA-1 teams are tasked with shadowing every Booth-Level-Officer (BLO) as they go door to door distributing and collecting SIR forms. The findings will be escalated to BLA-2, which will compile ground reports for the party’s central leadership. “We will move the court if we find any discrepancy,” a senior TMC leader said, signalling the party’s readiness for a legal battle as well as a political one.
The TMC has also started highlighting simmering differences within the BJP. A senior party leader asserted that a section of West Bengal BJP MPs have come out into the open, indicating that the Centre was “not doing enough to counter its rivals in the state”. He pointed to a recent interview of former Calcutta high court judge and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay. Speaking to the media, Mr Gangopadhyay felt that the Centre was “not doing” enough to take on the corruption and malpractices of the West Bengal government. He also warned that Bengalis “want to see Bengali faces (except for the Prime Minister and home minister), and that if too many non-Bengali leaders occupy the BJP political scene in the state, Bengalis will not be happy”.
As for the party’s organisational strength, TMC leaders claimed that it has “gone up” over the years as a “huge chunk” of CPI(M) and BJP cadres have crossed over to their ranks. TMC leaders also felt that Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s relentless tirade against Ms Mamata Banerjee was also helping the party.
Sensing that welfare schemes need to be weaponised to win the elections, the Mamata Banerjee government is looking at options to make the ongoing “Lakshmir Bhandar”, a financial scheme for women, “more lucrative”. Lakshmir Bhandar is a financial assistance scheme for women launched by Ms Banerjee’s government, offering direct cash transfers to eligible women from economically weaker households. Initially begun with a monthly grant of Rs 500 for the general category and Rs 1,000 for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families, the benefit amount was later increased to Rs 1,000 for the general category and Rs 1,200 for the SC/ST category.
