The destiny of West Bengal’s blockbuster political thriller might be settled over the following 14 days, as elections within the state now enter the decisive enterprise finish with 132 seats voting over the following three phases. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have escalated their marketing campaign for this make-or-break interval —which explains the hovering political mercury and spiralling tensions.
An intense tussle between the BJP and the TMC is on the playing cards. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP shocked every one by getting leads in 60 of these meeting segments going to polls within the upcoming three rounds, inflicting a serious dent in chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s vote base. For the TMC gained 107 of the 132 seats within the final meeting polls in 2016.
The BJP will attempt to maintain on to its leads and put up a fair higher efficiency, particularly in Bengal’s largest district of North 24-Parganas, the place all 33 seats go to polls over the fifth and sixth phases. The BJP received a lead in a dozen meeting segments in 2019, however the TMC desires to plug the breaches in its fortress.
The tensions are displaying with BJP state president Dilip Ghosh coming below assault in Cooch Behar on Wednesday. He accused CM Banerjee of instigating a bit of folks, and mentioned the Election Commission (EC) ought to ban her rallies or “a river of blood would flow” attributable to her alleged provocative speeches. The ballot watchdog, in the meantime, has show-caused the CM over her speech asking Muslims to not divide their votes and again the TMC en masse. The ruling social gathering has additionally approached EC, accusing the BJP of distributing Rs 1,000- coupons to villagers to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies.
THE BIGGEST PHASES
Forty-four seats will ballot on April 10, 45 seats on April 17 and one other 43 on April 22. These seats are unfold over 12 districts, together with massive districts reminiscent of North 24-Parganas (33 seats), Nadia (17 seats), East Bardhaman (16 seats), and North Bengal, the place all seats will ballot over the following three rounds. The first three rounds of the eight-phase elections are already full.
“To win West Bengal, one has to do well in the seven big districts — North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Murshidabad, Nadia, East Bardhaman, Hooghly and Howrah. These districts have 136 seats. A bulk of the seats from six of these districts, except Murshidabad, are polling in the next three phases,” a BJP chief instructed News18, explaining the main target of PM Modi and Union house minister Amit Shah’s marketing campaign henceforth.
Shah held 4 highway reveals in Howrah, Hooghly and South 24-Parganas on Wednesday. PM Modi performed a rally in Howrah on Tuesday and could be again within the state 4 extra occasions for eight-nine rallies until April 22. BJP president JP Nadda will maintain three highway reveals on Thursday, whereas CM Banerjee will marketing campaign in Hooghly, Howrah and South 24-Parganas.
ISSUES THAT MATTER
The North 24-Parganas district, which has 33 seats, is in sharp focus now. The district has a sizeable quantity of Hindi-speaking voters in city areas, Matua voters and a excessive Muslim inhabitants of 40%-65% in no less than 9 seats. The BJP hopes that the Hindi-speaking folks and Matuas will facet with it and that the Muslim vote will probably be cut up between the TMC and the alliance of the Indian Secular Front-Left-Congress. That explains CM Banerjee’s enchantment to Muslim voters to again the TMC absolutely.
Another district being intently watched over phases 5 and 6 is Nadia, which has 17 meeting seats and noticed an entire turnaround of fortunes between 2016 and 2019. The TMC gained 11 seats in 2016, whereas the BJP received a lead in 11 of these meeting segments within the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Matuas and their demand for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) — which the BJP has promised to implement — may act as vote-multipliers for the nationwide social gathering. The TMC is banking on its native MP, Mahua Moitra, to ship Nadia for it.
Such reversal in fortunes was additionally seen within the 36 constituencies within the North Bengal districts of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalgaipuri and Uttar Dinajpur, the place the TMC gained practically 75% of the seats in 2016. The BJP got here again strongly to win all of the Lok Sabha seats there in 2019. As a consequence, it additionally received leads in most of the meeting segments as nicely. The BJP is harping on the assist of the Rajbanshi neighborhood, and in addition elevating the problems of infiltration, cow smuggling and calls for of tea backyard staff there to carry on to its lead.
The TMC is, in the meantime, rigorously guarding East Bardhaman district, the place the BJP couldn’t make inroads in 2019. But the TMC anticipates that the BJP may go for polarisation there prefer it did in East Mednipur district
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