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NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Decoded: Mamata-Abhishek Banerjee's Joint Strategy For Bengal Polls 2026
Kolkata: The West Bengal Assembly election is expected around April-May next year, after Bihar votes for a new government at the end of this year. Ahead of the high-stakes election, an action plan has been readied by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, General Secretary of Trinamool Congress. The Banerjees have met several times recently and discussed these strategies. Before diving into their action plan, it must be noted that Ms Banerjee and her nephew have a strong working relationship. The popular perception is that the two have some serious differences of opinion. But generational differences in approach are very common. Even then, there is no difference in their ideology. The emotional bond also remains very strong. Their managers might also differ, but both are jointly strategising before the election. Let's try to decipher the salient 10 points of this joint strategy. Mamata Banerjee will be the face of the Trinamool campaign. Her face will appear on all banners, hoardings, and posters; about 90% of the shares will be of Ms Banerjee, and 10% will be of Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek supports this strategy, which was their first deliberate choice. This is because, although there are several BJP leaders in West Bengal, including party president Samik Bhattacharya, Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, former party president Dilip Ghosh, and Union minister and former state chief Sukanta Majumder, Narendra Modi is still the face of Bengal. So why not have the same for the Trinamool? In India, Ms Banerjee is already a well-known figure. With no accusations of corruption or ED-CBI cases against her, she is the most popular figure in West Bengal. Not Abhishek, but Ms Banerjee's portrait was all over the banners and crowds at the recent protest on July 21. Abhishek Banerjee also believes that the leadership won't be diluted if his aunt's face is highlighted. According to some Trinamool sources, Abhishek Banerjee should remain in an unspent balance role for the future. Abhishek Banerjee was appointed by Ms Banerjee as the Trinamool's parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha, while Kalyan Banerjee was relieved of his position. The Trinamool wants to neutralise the anti-West Bengal campaign, which is why they are giving parliament legislative party priority and putting Abhishek in office. Abhishek has a calm demeanour and gets along well with Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, and many others. The Trinamool will have a national expansion if he assumes responsibility in Delhi and attends the INDIA alliance meetings, such as the recent dinner gathering at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's home, where he bonded with the leader. Given that the BJP and its IT cell are stepping up their nationwide campaign against the Trinamool, this is a very significant move on the part of the Trinamool. Ms Banerjee has decided to sharpen her political strategy throughout the next eight months to counter the campaign. Moreover, Abhishek would be quite active during the Winter Session. Abhishek would always remain important in Bengal, even when he is in Delhi. He will participate in West Bengal's pre-election initiatives. In West Bengal, media handling has already returned to Camac Street. Abhishek is setting up virtual meetings with all district leaders. In addition, he is also campaigning for the voter card issue - both inside and outside West Bengal. He may not reveal himself, but he is doing it all anonymously. Abhishek will handle the district-based MLA nominations - he will conduct meetings with the party's district presidents and the party evaluations. Following election strategist Prashant Kishor's departure, Partik Jain is now in charge of the organisation. He works in cooperation with Ms Banerjee and Abhishek. In addition to the I-PAC, Abhishek is conducting other surveys and maintaining a high standard of scientific approach. Even though Abhishek is handling things, Ms Banerjee's presence is maintaining a balance between the old and new guards in the organisation. For instance, Ms Banerjee sent party leader Anubrata Mondal a message in an inclusive manner and offered him a special acknowledgement during her visit to Birbhum. Simultaneously, maintaining an equilibrium, she also messaged Delhi Lok Sabha deputy leader Satabdi Roy. Together, Ms Banerjee and Abhishek are also trying to eliminate district-wise group politics before the election - using both new and traditional strategies. Ms Banerjee is in charge of all the programs and initiatives. Increases in funding for the Lakshmir Bhandar project are among the populist approaches in West Bengal. She is analysing every issue during meetings with the chief secretary and other authorities. The recent Paray Samadhan program demonstrates her involvement in governance and other organisational aspects. The media is being handled by MP Derek O'Brien in Delhi and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh in West Bengal, who have a strategy of aggressively addressing every problem brought up by the BJP. This strategy also includes the use of new social media tools, such as reels, photos, and film. The coverage of Mamata Banerjee's speeches and district rallies will be the primary subject of her extremely selective personal interviews. Abhishek Banerjee will also go on district tours. Ms Banerjee may find it challenging to manage it all alone since several BJP leaders, including prominent campaigners, would also be present. Thus, the campaign will feature many speakers and cabinet ministers, including Bratya Basu, Shashi Panja, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Jayprakash Majumder, and others. Mr Majumder has been assigned to oversee all matters at the party headquarters. Bengali identity politics serves as the foundation for the strategy, which has been the Trinamool's counter to the BJP's 'Jai Shri Ram' sloganeering. The BJP also claims to have used chants like "Jai Maa Kali" and "Jai Maa Durga" at PM Narendra Modi's most recent Durgapur rally. Samik Bhattacharya, who adheres to a liberal, secular worldview, is on one side of the BJP's double-pronged strategy, while Suvendu Adhikari is continuing electoral politics by demanding the cancellation of infiltrators' voter cards. Ms Banerjee and Abhishek's combined plan is to fight the voter list to combat this. The votes of Muslims and other minorities, particularly Bangladeshi refugees, will be aided by this. Bengali identity politics mustn't become an anti-Hindutva or anti-Hindi initiative. To ensure this, Kirti Azad and other non-Bengali members will participate in the campaign, with Ms Banerjee conveying the Trinamool's oneness and unity. This effort was started as a Bengali self-defence mechanism, particularly in the light of the discrimination and expulsion of migrant workers working outside West Bengal. In addition to these strategies, Ms Banerjee and Abhishek are constantly tracking the BJP and its IT cells' operations and plans. They are continuously monitoring the BJP and are not undermining them in the least.
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Rs 2,000 crore classroom scam: AAP, BJP trade barbs over ACB's FIR against Sisodia, Jain
NEW DELHI: Both the BJP and AAP engaged in war of words after The AAP, however, said 'it is clear now that the BJP government is incapable of doing any real work. All they know is to file one baseless case after another against Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders.' Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva stated, 'Today (Wednesday) marks a decisive moment in the fight of Delhi's citizens against the corruption of the Aam Aadmi Party and its outgoing government.' 'The ACB has registered an FIR and initiated an investigation against former ministers Sisodia and Jain, who are accused of a scam in classroom construction under the guise of educational and infrastructure reform.' He said that soon as Kejriwal came to power in 2015, he began laying the foundation for various 'corrupt practices and scams.' At that very time, the BJP organisation started raising its voice against these irregularities. The Delhi BJP president noted that in 2015-16, the Kejriwal government allocated a budget of Rs 2,892 crore for the construction of 12,748 classrooms in government schools. This allocation meant that the cost of constructing a single classroom came out to approximately Rs 24.86 lakh, whereas, according to CPWD manual estimates, the construction cost should have been around Rs 5 lakh per classroom. The AAP leaders said, 'All they know is to file one baseless case after another against Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders. At this rate, one shouldn't be surprised if BJP's agencies register a case tomorrow saying, 'Why was Sisodia sitting on a government chair?' or 'Why did he forget to put a comma or a full stop in an official document?' That's the level of absurdity this has reached.' The opposition party said that the BJP has no intention of doing any meaningful governance for the coming 5 years. 'They're only interested in theatrics. One day it's a case, the next a raid. It is no coincidence that as soon as Durgesh Pathak is appointed as Sah-Prabhari of Gujarat, an FIR is registered against him and his house is raided. The moment Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain are given roles in Punjab, fresh FIRs appear against them.' 'This is pure political vendetta. It's a deliberate attempt to intimidate and paralyse the AAP. The AAP does not fear their intimidation tactics, their bogus FIRs or their ED-CBI witch hunts,' the party leaders said.
The Print
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Congress accuses Centre of misusing agencies against Gandhi family
Citing the examples of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who were assassinated, Pilot said, 'Find me one BJP leader who took a bullet on his chest.' He said the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) politics of discrimination has led to a sense of insecurity among the people of the country. Addressing the party's 'Samvidhan Bachao Rally' at the Rangers College grounds here, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said the Congress has made great sacrifices for the country and dared the BJP to name even one of its leaders who took a bullet on the chest for the country's sake. Dehradun, Apr 30 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Centre of misusing agencies against the Gandhi family and weakening constitutional institutions. 'Farmers are committing suicide, inflation and unemployment have touched an all-time high but the BJP governments both at the Centre and in the states cannot look beyond their politics of Hindu-Muslim, mandir-masjid,' Pilot said. The Gandhi family, which has sacrificed everything, is being implicated in false cases, he added. 'Ousting the BJP from power and installing a Congress government in Uttarakhand in 2027 is our collective responsibility,' the former Union minister asserted. Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is so arrogant that he wants to change the Constitution and put his photo in place of that of B R Ambedkar. Rawat asked Congress workers to go to every village in the state over the next six months and hoist the party flag. Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Yashpal Arya accused the BJP government of weakening democracy and trying to centralise power by changing the Constitution. State Congress chief Karan Mahara accused the Centre of interfering with constitutional institutions, misusing ED-CBI and launching attacks on the rights of Dalits and tribals. He also put the state government in the dock for a rise in crimes against women and growing corruption. All senior leaders of the state Congress and a large number workers attended the rally, which was part of a nationwide campaign launched by the grand old party, calling for protecting constitutional values and opposing the policies of the BJP government. A demand was also made at the rally for strict action against the perpetrators of a terror attack in south Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed on April 22. PTI ALM RC This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
