Delhi Elections would have no bearing on Bengal polls says Mamta Bannerjee
Mamata Banerjee assured her party MLAs on Monday that the recent Delhi election results would have no bearing on the Bengal Assembly elections slated for next year.
Addressing Trinamul Congress legislators during an internal meeting ahead of the Assembly’s budget session, Mamata said, “We will return to power with a two-thirds majority on our own. The Congress has no relevance here. We will secure victory independently.”
Her remarks came after the BJP reclaimed power in Delhi after 27 years, ousting the AAP government and defeating several prominent leaders, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
On the performance of her INDI Alliance partners, sources revealed that Mamata believed better coordination between the Congress and AAP could have altered the Delhi election results.
“Mamata believes that Congress’s nearly 5 percent vote share in Delhi impacted the outcome,” said a Trinamul MLA from Nadia district. “She remarked that if Congress had shown flexibility and formed an electoral understanding with AAP, the results would have been different.”
The chief minister also highlighted a similar situation in Haryana, where she noted AAP did not extend support to Congress. “She believes the BJP wouldn’t have returned to power in Haryana had the two alliance partners contested together,” the MLA added.
However, Mamata emphasized that the Bengal scenario is different, as opposition parties lack the organizational strength to challenge the BJP as effectively as Trinamul does.
While Mamata has been an integral part of the INDI Alliance, she noted that the coalition hadn’t materialized in Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls, unlike in states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, where pre-poll understandings between opposition parties had yielded better results against the BJP.
Despite setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bounced back in both Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra during the Assembly polls, reversing its fortunes. In Haryana, the BJP secured 48 of the 90 Assembly seats, while Congress managed 37. Similarly, in Maharashtra, the BJP claimed 132 Assembly seats, while Congress saw its worst performance, winning just 16.
Mamata urged her MLAs to focus on grassroots connections by working closely with both seasoned and newer party workers. She stressed the importance of interacting with constituents, given that the state elections are just over a year away.
Within Trinamul, discussions continue about organizational reforms, with differing views between Mamata and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. While Abhishek has advocated for a retirement age for politicians, Mamata remains unwilling to sideline the party’s old guard.
Although Abhishek submitted proposals for organizational changes, Mamata has directed MLAs to provide recommendations for restructuring the party’s students and youth wings within 15 days, tasking state minister Aroop Biswas to oversee the process.
