IS MAMATA'S ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN ON BACK FOOT?

The loudest part of BJP campaign has been its manifesto which promised doles generously as also spoke of developmental steps it will take if voted to power. Mamata could not match such promises.

- SUGATO HAZRA

Campaigning in an election is an intricate task. Candidates and their sponsoring political party need to identify issues that the voters will like to hear about. They need to, at the same time, predict what their opponents could do and prepare defence for the same. If the calculations go wrong so does the election result. As it did happen for BJP in West Bengal in the 2021 state Assembly election.

BJP in 2021 had sensed some strong tailwind but with faulty choice of candidate and planning turned it into headwind. It liberally recruited known faces from rival Trinamool Congress. The anti-TMC voters started viewing the party as BJ-Mool, a punch between TMC and BJP. Mamata Banerjee helped by smart campaign designed by IPAC, its election advisor, swept to power.

In 2026, BJP had learnt its lessons from past mistakes and planned carefully. Weeks before election was announced in the state, BJP launched a massive outreach programme covering nearly all assembly constituencies. Its nine such Parivartan Yatras traversed around 5,000 km in West Bengal. The yatra used several known faces from other states and centre along with local leaders.

The yatra ended with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a massive rally at Kolkata's large Brigade Parade ground. The estimated more than five lakh crowd was a record of sorts for any political party in recent years. The well planned initiation of campaign for 2026, the first ever in the state, rejuvenated the party and shocked rival TMC.