Once the dominant political force in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has found itself navigating an unusually turbulent stretch, with the party facing questions over its identity, leadership and ability to hold its organisation together.For Mamata Banerjee, almost synonymous with the Trinamool Congress after years of being its most powerful face, the past 72 hours have been particularly bruising.First came the Election Commission‘s decision over the party’s name and symbol. Then came a candidate’s withdrawal in Nandigram. A second candidate in Rejinagar announced his exit, only to reverse the decision within hours.By Saturday, at least one crisis had been defused. But the sequence of events has underlined how quickly the political landscape around Mamata’s party has changed.
From ‘grass and flowers’ to ‘footballer’
The biggest blow came when the Election Commission allotted the ‘footballer’ symbol to Mamata’s faction of the Trinamool Congress and assigned it the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’.The move came amid a bitter dispute over the party’s identity and its traditional ‘flowers-and-grass’ symbol.The rival faction led by once-a-Didi-loyalist Arup Roy was allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘envelope’ symbol.For a party that has built much of its political identity around Mamata and the familiar twin-flower-and-grass symbol, the change was more than a technical electoral decision. It forced the party to enter an election with a new name and a symbol that voters would have to recognise.The developments followed Mamata’s unsettling defeat at the hands of the BJP in the assembly polls, after which the party was left vulnerable to rebellion and splits in both the state assembly and Parliament.The internal churn went a step further when the rebel faction sought to stake its claim over the Trinamool Congress identity, after the party had ruled Bengal for 15 straight years.
Nandigram delivers another shock
The trouble then moved from the party’s identity to its candidates.Mamata’s choice for the Nandigram bypoll, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her candidature after meeting chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.Dey, who had lost her job in connection with the teacher recruitment scam, met Adhikari along with her husband Satyajit before withdrawing her nomination a day ahead of the deadline.The reasons for her decision were not immediately clear.For Mamata’s camp, however, the timing could hardly have been comfortable. The party was already dealing with the fallout from the Election Commission’s decision and internal rebellion when its candidate in a politically significant constituency stepped away from the contest.Faced with a sudden vacancy, Mamata announced support for Congress’s Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan, describing the Congress as a “sister party”.The move was projected as an attempt to strengthen the INDIA bloc ahead of the October 6 bypolls.But that plan too ran into trouble.Hours later, Pradhan was arrested in connection with criminal cases lodged against him during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.Didi and her camp accused the BJP government of “acting in an authoritarian manner to crush dissent and win the bypoll by a huge margin”.BJP leader and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar hit back, saying such allegations were expected from a “party centred on one person, whose activists had carried out attacks on the then opposition BJP after the 2021 assembly polls”.Nandigram seat has also been a bastion of CM Suvendu Adhikari.
Rejinagar’s dramatic U-turn
If Nandigram was not enough, Rejinagar added another twist.Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, a former TMC MLA and the party’s candidate for the Rejinagar bypoll, announced on Saturday that he was withdrawing from the contest.His explanation offered a glimpse into the difficulties facing the party’s grassroots organisation.“It is becoming difficult for me to motivate grassroots workers who have been facing regular harassment. Police have arrested many of our workers, slapping false cases. Also, it is an onerous task to familiarise the electorate with the new ‘footballer’ symbol in such a short time. In this given situation, I informed Mamata di last evening about my decision (not to contest)… Let’s see,” he said.For a brief period, it appeared that Mamata had lost another candidate.Then, about an hour and a half later, Chowdhury called another presser and reversed his decision.He said the party’s top leadership, including Mamata herself, had spoken to him and persuaded him to stay in the contest.“I will be contesting the bypoll. We are in Didi’s party and we cannot do anything outside her wishes. So, following Didi’s instructions, I am retaining my candidature,” Chowdhury said.He said Mamata had directed him not to withdraw.The sudden reversal brought a temporary pause to what had been a relentless sequence of setbacks.
‘Footballer’ symbol, old party machinery
Chowdhury subsequently visited the Beldanga police station and met officers.Emerging from the police station, he said the police administration had assured him and party workers of security during the campaign.“I have been assured of security by the police after the supremo (Mamata) intervened. I have met officers of the Beldanga police station and they have also assured me and my cadre of security during campaigning,” he said.Chowdhury also sought to reassure his supporters that the campaign would go ahead despite the turbulence.
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“Even if only 10 workers stand by me, I will take them along and begin a door-to-door campaign,” he said, adding that he expected all necessary assistance in accordance with Mamata’s instructions.His return to the contest gave Mamata’s camp at least one piece of good news after three days of political turbulence.The troubling sequence unfolded over 72 hours, turning into an unsettling rollercoaster for Didi.The bypolls for Bengal seats is scheduled for October 6.
