BJP, CPM fight it out to lead opposition against Mamata Banerjee in Panchayat polls

KOLKATA: Even though the Panchayat elections in West Bengal are slated to be held next year, both BJP and CPM are engaged in a stiff competition to emerge as principal opposition to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

While BJP’s outstanding performance in UP and Uttarakhand elections is providing oxygen to the state unit to intensify its fight against Mamata's government, CPM is struggling hard to be on the streets as the Marxists are experiencing a poor electoral performance since 2011.

To emerge as principal opposition, both BJP and CPM have brought some changes in the pattern of their traditional form of agitation against the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Both are avoiding bandhs and strikes, but have adopted some sort of agitation which has stunned Trinamool Congress. For example, BJP is resorting to wildcat agitation in front of the state administrative headquarters of Nabanna and near Assembly gates to register protests against the policies of Mamata government and to raise their political demands.

“We are not getting police permission for holding our rallies.... In some cases, we had to move Calcutta HC. ...we have decided to go for wildcat agitation by keeping police and administration in dark,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh. On February 23, about 100 BJP workers held a sudden demonstration near Nabanna.

The CPM has given a clear instruction to its activists not to obtain personal bonds to release themselves in case they are arrested. Last week, the police arrested 104 activists of students & youth wings of CPM but refused to free themselves.