Bengal’s politics of bye-election: The BJP game plan to checkmate Mamata

Manjil Das, INN/Chennai
Twitter-@SGiggle29 @Infodeaofficial

Despite her party’s landslide win in the recently ended West Bengal assembly election, Mamata Banerjee’s setback in Nandigram has become the BJP’s proverbial stick with which to beat the Trinamool Congress. In one of the seven by-elections scheduled, the potential of her elected to the state parliament has increased the political situation in the state.

Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP’s Bengal Opposition Leader, has wasted no time in calling his predecessor a “loser CM.” And, if BJP insiders are to be believed, the status quo should be maintained for as long as possible.

A chief minister who is not a member of the legislative assembly is required by law to run for re-election every six months. After losing by fewer than 2,000 votes in Nandigram, Mamata is expected to run from her pocket borough of Bhabanipur in South Kolkata. Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, who won in Bhabanipur, may be transferred to Khardah, where the victorious TMC candidate died shortly after the election.

Although Mamata wishes to hold the by-elections as soon as feasible, there is a distinct position in the BJP camp. According to BJP insiders, Adhikari sought to persuade Amit Shah in a recent meeting that the bypolls should not be held immediately because to the Covid issue.

Furthermore, because the atmosphere in Bengal is pro-Mamata, bye-elections would be detrimental to the BJP. It would be a big embarrassment for Mamata if the bye-elections were to be postponed till the six-month term had passed.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections are also coming up, and if Mamata decides to conduct them soon and the number of Covid cases rises, the BJP may be emboldened to demand that bye-elections be postponed.