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Kolkata is the Prime Urban centre in Eastern India. Trinamool Congress scored a landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Elections by making a tally of 134 of 144 wards. BJP, the main opposition in Bengal, got 3 and the left-Congress won 2 wards each. The 3 independents who won in the polls expressed their wish to join the Ruling Party.
It is important to note that the polling for Kolkata Civic Polls took place between violence. It was reported that 3 persons were injured in two separate incidents of crude bomb explosions. The candidates and agents of the Opposition parties were allegedly attacked and removed from the polling booths by Trinamool Congress workers in many of the 144 wards. The voter turnout was recorded at 63.63%.
The Civic poll results were overall one-sided. Particularly, the BJP that emerged as the biggest opposition party could not leave any important impact. Some of the reasons for insignificant performance by the BJP can be:
BJP stepped back before the fight:
BJP ran one of the biggest and most expensive election campaigns in 2021 for the West Bengal elections. The PM himself carried out some of the biggest rallies in the state with frequent visits. All the renowned and senior leaders of the BJP made countless visits to the state. All the party workers were highly confident of its victory. It tried all the possible ways to assure its win. But, the result was not the one expected. Possibly, the defeat of the BJP has reduced the confidence of party leaders and workers. The by-polls further washed away the ray of hope.
On the other hand, TMC has a strong foothold in West Bengal. For the past 16 years, it has been running the KMC, and it has been influential in Kolkata’s Civic Polls.
BJP began its preparation from 2-3 months prior even for the by-polls. It exercised its strength during the by-polls, with top leaders of the party campaigning on the streets. But, for the KMC, it did not put in much effort. There were no star campaigners and even fewer party workers on the ground. A reason can be the lack of support from the Party during the post-poll violence.
This disinterested campaign by the opposition also caused comparatively unenthusiastic Kolkata Civic Polls. As a result, BJP got 9% fewer votes than the 2015 KMC Polls.
Intentional avoidance by BJP:
Sukanta Majumdar, Member of Parliament from Balurghat became the BJP state President. The change in State President was made after the defeat of BJP in the Assembly Polls. After that, the party lost 7 seats in the By-polls.
In the KMC, he did not actively campaign except for the last 3 or 4 days. Other BJP West Bengal stalwarts like Suvendu Adhikari or Dilip Ghosh were busy in Singur. It marked the commencement of land movement in West Bengal 15 years ago. The party claimed to raise the voices of farmers, but the message was not conveyed effectively. There is a sense of intentional avoidance in the Party. Some party members confirmed that many workers were asking for money to attend the party meetings.
A senior BJP leader and MP Roopa Ganguly supported a rebel BJP candidate and ex-Governor of Meghalaya, Tathagata Roy. He had publicly claimed that BJP created a monetary barter system in KMC elections. This made the win more difficult.
The Party Failed to understand the pulse of Kolkata:
There are 40% non-Bengali voters in the metro city of Kolkata. These people have been strong supporters of the BJP. It excludes the Urdu-speaking population. This time, AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) got a 72% vote share, which is more than 60%. So, the BJP failed to attract those 60% Bengali population along with losing a part of its supporters.
A reason for strong Bengali Support to TMC is the concept of Bengali Nationalism by the party. There was a highly sensationalized Bengali VS Outsider debate by the party during the Assembly elections. It is called BJP as an outsider party in Bengal. Furthermore, the top BJP leaders except Smriti Irani spoke in Hindi, adding to the claim.
There were inaccurate statements by BJP leaders in the context of Bengali History and Culture that were an upsetting point for the Bengali voters. BJP also did not try to bank on the Bengali voters. The BJP fielded Priyanka Tibrewal from Bhowanipore, who is not a voter from that constituency. It did fall into the trap of TMC.
The opposition did not let BJP set the narrative of elections:
The BJP has always highlighted the Hindu-Muslim debate. It has compared the governance in West Bengal to strict Dictatorship that is an attack on Individual rights, like in North Korea. But, the other opposition parties, like the Left and Congress, have completely different issues for the elections. It includes lack of employment, petrol and LPG price hike, etc. So, the left and Congress did not allow the BJP to set a clear Agenda against the ruling party in the elections.
Modifying political dynamics in the state:
The Left Party and Congress contested the election together for the Assembly Polls. But, during the KMC, both contested separately. After the defeat in the Assembly elections, both the parties changed their strategy. It also highlights that the people prefer Leftover BJP for KMC. It is an indication for BJP that it needs to reconsider its concepts and make some new strategies. Furthermore, it can be a ray of Hope for Congress and the Left to revive its old stature in the state.
A big turn lost by TMC:
After the Assembly elections and by-polls, it was very clear that the TMC has an upper hand in the future elections, and it will win the KMC. So, the violence and attacks on opposition candidates should have been controlled and avoided. If TMC wants to eye at national politics, it will have to get rid of this image that was formed with the 2018 panchayat elections. The frequent warnings by AITC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee were not able to avert them, and the violence prevailed.
Likely impacts on the future politics:
The KMC elections might not have a big impact on the national level, but they will impact future state politics. Left has taken the second role after TMC in the state dethroned BJP. It has been able to capture the vote of non-Bengali voters. It will be important to see whether this trend would continue in the upcoming Civic Polls.
West Bengal has 42 seats in the lower house of Parliament or Lok Sabha. So, if TMC would be able to get 35+ from the state then it would be the 3rd biggest political party in the Country. It will be after BJP and INC eyeing national politics. This is the peak of TMC, and it should work in a strategized way. If these similar reasons stay for long, BJP will be permanently dethroned from the seat as the main opposition party in the state.
Also Read: Jharkhand became the third state to pass the Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill
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