HEIR STYLE

Mamata Banerjee’s popularity and her nephew Abhishek’s campaign strategy stalled the BJP’s momentum in Bengal

- NILADRY SARKAR

The election results in West Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress won 29 of 42 seats, have taken everyone by surprise. Despite the Trinamool’s landslide victory in the 2021 assembly polls, the BJP seemed to be gaining momentum ahead of the general elections. However, the results have underscored the significant challenges to the BJP’s hindutva rhetoric in West Bengal. The outcome also highlights the enduring popularity of Mamata Banerjee and the growth of her nephew Abhishek as the most influential leader in state politics after her.

Mamata, in an address to the media, attributed the victory to the common people and the opposition alliance. “Had [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi achieved majority on his own, he would have committed more atrocities,” she said. “But now we will not spare them. Hopefully INDIA members will also not spare them. Our team will only increase.”

The Trinamool contested the polls on the plank of the state government’s welfare schemes, especially those targeted at women. If Mamata was the face of the campaign, the driving force was Abhishek. Not that he had it easy. The 36-year-old has faced many a summons by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Even within the party, the old guard has often questioned his leadership. But Abhishek seems to have sailed through all the crises and engineered a successful election for his party. He won his Diamond Harbour seat for the third time, with a record margin of more than 7 lakh votes—the highest in the history of parliamentary polls in West Bengal. Mamata, too, acknowledged his efforts during her press conference.