As Mamata Banerjee's TMC struggles, 'secular rivals' eye state's Opposition space

New Delhi: As Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is battling post-defeat backlash, internal rifts and risk of a split, the other non-BJP political parties of West Bengal, the CPI-M, Congress and others, whose electoral turf the TMC had gobbled up, are keeping an eagle’s eye to regain an opening in the state’s Opposition space.

While the BJP stormed to power by wresting the larger political space that the TMC had occupied, yet the scramble now will be for the left-over political and social turfs that remain inimical to the BJP. How, and whether, Banerjee tackles TMC’s existential challenge is key to the revival hopes of the Left and Congress in the state.

While many TMC MLAs distancing from the party leadership and the reported efforts to split the TMC are being widely compared to the BJP splitting its erstwhile Maharashtra ally Shiv Sena, some West Bengal politicians see it differently. They pointed out that unlike Maharashtra where the BJP used the breakaway Shiv Sena MLAs’ to undo the Thackeray regime and form the Shinde-BJP government, in West Bengal the BJP government already enjoys a two-third majority and does not need external help to stabilise itself.


“The BJP plot in West Bengal is different. Anyone who has dealt with Mamata Bandopadhyay knows two things; If she was ruthless against Opposition while in power, in Opposition she was fearless and an adept rabble rouser against the governments. She may be now 71 years old and facing her toughest challenge, but (CM) Suvendu (Adhikari), who worked closely with her and knows her instincts and street skills, doesn’t want to take any chances. The effort to stoke rebellion and split TMC is Suvendu’s way of trying to pin Mamata down further in the Opposition and crack her party to deny her a propeller,” said a senior Opposition leader of Bengal.

As Suvendu-Mamata battle-2 is raging, the Left and the Congress are also facing the task of making deft moves to wrest the Opposition space from TMC. Political camps are also watching how the nearly 35% Muslim population of the state will respond to the changing equations –– on whether they continue to stand by the TMC or will they return to old political destinations such as the Left and Congress if TMC’s troubles deepen or in the event of Banerjee’s decline and the absence of other credible Opposition leaderships in the state or whether they will be wooed by Muslim political outfits such as Nawsad Siddique-led ISF, Asaduddin Owaizi-led AIMIM, Indian Secular force and Humayun Kabir-led AJUP.

“TMC, which is bereft of an ideology and thrived as a mob in power, is now folding up. Now, it will be a political fight between the Right and the Left in West Bengal. The corrupt TMC functionaries and cadre will shift to the BJP in search of state protection, while those who want to politically and ideologically fight the BJP, will join the Left. The state CPI-M is already on the street, agitating against the bulldozer rule of the new BJP government,” said Mohd Salim, who heads the West Bengal CPI-M. Asked whether the INDIA bloc meeting should rally against the post-poll attack on the TMC brass, Salim quipped, “I am rooted in the realities of West Bengal. Let the wise men sitting in Delhi reflect on that”.

State Congress leaders are hoping the Congress supporters, who had moved to TMC, and sections of the Muslims will now move back to the party. But to pursue that hope, the party faces the first task of projecting an inspiring leadership. As Mamata Banerjee is battling the Adhikari regime’s bid to weaken her further, battle lines for Bengal’s Opposition space are also clearly drawn between TMC and its competitors in opposition .