Published 20:02 IST, February 20th 2021
BJP dares Mamata Banerjee to announce Nandigram as her sole contest for Bengal polls
Battle for Bengal intensifies with ruling TMC launching election campaign while challenger BJP issues dare to CM Mamata to make Nandigram her sole candidature
Amid the intense political faceoff between BJP and TMC in poll-bound West Bengal, the incumbent ruling party on Saturday launched an election campaign with "Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chay" meaning Bengal wants its own daughter. Soon after the campaign was shared on social media, BJP leaders issued a challenge to Mamata Banerjee to confirm that she is contesting only from Nandigram and not from her other constituency Bhawanipore.
In order to exude confidence, Mamata Banerjee on January 18 had announced that she would be contesting from Nandigram as the constituency being a stronghold of Suvendu Adhikari, her ex-confidante who switched sides to BJP. She later added that she would contest from Nandigram and Bhawanipore as the latter being her stronghold.
In an attempt to turn the tables on Mamata, several BJP leaders have thrown a dare asking her to confirm if she is contesting from Nandigram alone while adding that contesting from two places would be like readying an escaping route in case of loss from Nandigram.
BJP leaders challenge Mamata
BJP's National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya took to Twitter to throw a dare to Mamata asking her to make it official if she is fighting the election from Nandigram alone.
"Mamta Banerjee has announced to contest assembly elections from Nandigram. But, she did not say that she will contest only from here! If she is confident of her victory, make this announcement too! ... Otherwise, it will be understood that you do not trust Nandigram!" Vijayvargiya said.
BJP West Bengal President Dilip Ghosh too challenged Mamata to make it official about her candidature from Nandigram alone while alleging that she should not deviate later.
"Mamata Banerjee has announced her candidature from Nandigram. If she is so sure of winning from Nandigram, then announce that she will be the candidate only from this constituency, so that she does not deviate from her words later. Otherwise, she knows what to do...." Ghosh said.
BJP's National IT in-charge Amit Malviya also asked her to confirm her candidature from Nandigram so that "she can be later held to her words".
Rajib Banerjee, ex-cabinet Minister and one of the latest conversions from TMC to BJP, also echoed similar sentiments as other BJP leaders did.
"If Mamata Banerjee is sure of her victory in the Nandigram constituency, she should announce that she will be the only candidate from Nandigram so that she cannot back down from her word later. We know what will happen otherwise," Rajib Banerjee tweeted.
Ex national Secretary of BJP and ex-President of West Bengal BJP, Rahul Sinha took repeated the jibe at Mamata Banerjee while adding "Bangla Didir Theke Mukti Chay" meaning Bengalis want to get rid of Didi. This jibe seeming came in retaliation to TMC's "Bengal wants its own daughter" campaign.
BJP leader and MoS Environment Babul Supriyo too repeated the chorus and tweeted:
National Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party Mukul Roy, West Bengal BJP Vice President Arjun Singh, BJP State General Secretary Locket Chatterjee too added to the chorus by demanding her to announce her sole candidature from Nandigram.
The West Bengal Battle
It remains pertinent to see if Mamata Banerjee makes it official about the Nandigram fight to set a direct faceoff with ex-confidante Suvendu Adhikari who was the former Nandigram MLA before switching allegiance to BJP. Adhikari has also been the mastermind of the Nandigram agitation in 2007 which led to the collapse of nearly three and a half decades of Left rule and the political dynamics shifting in favour of TMC thereafter.
After Mamata Banerjee's announcement of January 18, to contest from Nandigram and Bhawanipore, Suvendu Adhikari announced that he will defeat Mamata Banerjee with half a lakh votes (50,000 votes) or else he will quit politics. Thereafter, he said he will ensure BJP's victory in Nandigram regardless of whoever contests from the constituency from BJP, throwing a dare to Mamata.
The situation in the run-up to West Bengal election gets intense by the day with political mudslinging, violence. West Bengal, where CM Mamata Banerjee holds fort with 222 seats, will go to polls in April-May 2021. The BJP has exuded confidence that it will cross the 200 seat mark, however, TMC via its poll strategist Prashant Kishore has contended that BJP will not cross double digits. The exodus from TMC with dozens of its members jumping ship to join BJP may also become a major hindrance for the ruling party.
Updated 20:02 IST, February 20th 2021