Controversial audio tapes, every day journeys to the Election Commission (EC), social media wars over “empty rally grounds” and thoughts video games on which means the hawa is blowing. A Game of Thrones is underway in West Bengal, because the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its challenger, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are pulling no punches in a bitter election marketing campaign.
And this recreation of political one-upmanship is barely getting intense, with BJP nationwide IT cell head and Bengal co-incharge Amit Malviya on one facet and the TMC’s election strategist, Prashant Kishor, on the opposite.
On Sunday, the BJP fielded its senior leaders — Dinesh Trivedi, Suvendu Adhikari and Malviya — to level to “leaked audio tapes” that allegedly expose corruption by TMC chief Abhishek Banerjee, a cost shortly rubbished by the ruling celebration that mentioned the tapes had been “concocted”.
The timing, nonetheless, was vital. The allegations got here simply two days earlier than voting in South 24-Parganas, the place Abhishek Banerjee is an influential determine; his Lok Sabha seat, Diamond Harbour, is on this district. This time, the BJP is eager to make a foray right here. South 24-Paraganas is the one district the place the TMC received leads in all 31 meeting constituencies within the 2019 nationwide elections, even because the BJP gained 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats. Muslims account for 30% of the voters in South 24-Paraganas — which makes the problem larger for the BJP. The district votes within the third and fourth rounds of the eight-phase Bengal elections. Malviya has already hinted on the “buzz” that Muslims could vote for the Indian Secular Front (ISF)’s Abbas Siddqui, and never the TMC.
Before that, on March 27, the BJP launched an audio tape of chief minister Mamata Banerjee purportedly talking to a BJP chief in East Medinipur and asking for his assist earlier than polling (on April 1) within the district’s Nandigram seat. The CM is contesting the high-profile constituency towards her lieutenant-turned-rival, Suvendu Adhikari.
The transfer was countered the identical day by the TMC, which launched an audio tape of a purported dialog between BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Shishir Bajoria, claiming that they had been discussing a technique to affect EC. Subsequently, it alleged that the election watchdog toed the BJP line on permitting polling brokers from wherever in an meeting constituency.
Meanwhile, CM Banerjee, at a rally, later admitted that she had certainly referred to as up the East Medinipur BJP chief, who left the TMC not too long ago.
Both the BJP and the TMC camps have additionally been releasing video footage of “empty rally grounds” of leaders from the alternative camp, a tactic aimed toward embarrassing the opposite. While the BJP has focused the CM’s rallies in Haldia and Nandigram these days over what it calls modest crowds, the I-PAC crew of ballot strategist Kishor has been replying with visuals of what it calls skinny attendance on the rallies of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and street exhibits of another BJP campaigners.
Such efforts to outdo one another are additionally mirrored in what have turned out to be journeys to the workplace of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) at Fairley Place in Kolkata virtually on daily basis with a plethora of complaints.
The BJP has been on the CEO workplace on a dozen events within the final fortnight with its senior leaders corresponding to Kailash Vijayvargiya and Bajoria taking the lead. The TMC has deputed its senior leaders corresponding to Derek O’Brien and Yashwant Sinha to deal with journeys to EC. These days, the media normally camps on the ballot watchdog’s workplace, ready for the guests.
Mind video games have additionally been performed over the chance of the CM contesting from a second protected seat, with the BJP citing “inside information from the TMC”. The ruling celebration has strongly denied any such plans.
Upping the marketing campaign ante
With campaigning over in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the BJP is ready to step up its Bengal marketing campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anticipated to maintain a couple of dozen extra rallies within the state.
The PM has to date carried out eight rallies in Bengal for the primary three phases (March 27, April 1 and April 6), starting his election marketing campaign right here on March 18. Earlier, he addressed a rally on the well-known Brigade Ground in Kolkata on March 7. He held 15 rallies within the different poll-bound states.
On April 6, the PM will probably be in Cooch Behar and Hooghly for campaigning for the fourth part, whereas some constituencies within the third part in Hooghly and Howrah will vote that day. He is anticipated to be in Bengal later this week as effectively, and on April 14 for public rallies. BJP sources mentioned the remainder of the schedule was nonetheless being finalised. Home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda will even spend extra time in Bengal now and can also camp right here for some days.
Despite the TMC’s objections to PM Modi holding rallies within the state on polling days, the BJP is anticipated to stick with the identical technique, because it has in lots of different states. As half of this method, the PM’s rallies are slotted on a polling day, however for areas that vote within the subsequent part.
This isn’t a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), a senior BJP chief informed News18. “Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is also holding rallies on a polling day, for the next phases. She did so on March 27, when the first phase of polling happened…She did not hold any rally on April 1, a polling day, as she was under pressure in Nandigram,” the BJP chief added.
