TMC's victory in civic polls is a signal for the Opposition to get its act together
The results of last week's civic polls in West Bengal have not come as a surprise. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, made a clean sweep. It won 140 of the 148 wards. Coming a year after the party secured a massive victory in the State Assembly election, after sidelining the left Front, the municipal election was also a test for her Government, which it has passed with flying colours. Coming close on the heels of the TMC making inroads in the Darjeeling hills, where the party made significant gains by winning the Mirik municipality, its towering performance in all the seven civic bodies, spread across north and south Bengal, is another feather in its cap and has served as a confirmation that the TMC still enjoys tremendous support of the people in the State. The left and the Congress, on the other hand, have yet again been pushed to the third and fourth spot respectively. This comes as a rude shocker, considering that these two parties, which ruled the State at some point in time, are now losing their grip on politics in West Bengal. The erosion of Congress and left basis has lead to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) making inroads in the State.
Though the BJP emerged a distant second, it maintained the momentum of its impressive win in the 2014 lok Sabha election and the creditable showing in the State Assembly poll. It is, slowly but steadily, improving its vote share and pushing the Opposition to the corner, to emerge as the TMC’s main opponent party in the State. Crucially, the ruling party made some significant gains in north Bengal — it swept polls at Dhupguri, Haldia, Panskura, Durgapur, Cooper’s Camp, Nalhati and Buniyadpur municipalities.
The Opposition has on expected lines, called for re-election to a number of municipal bodies and has accused the TMC of turning the poll process into a farce by resorting to large scale “hooliganism and rigging”. Indeed, West Bengal has been the hallmark of political violence. To this end, while Mamata Banerjee and her party, have all the reasons to celebrate, but they will do well to act on the blatant abuse of power and the large-scale
violence which has become a norm in her State. Booth capturing, poll
rigging, assaults on party activists have been the facets of electioneering in West Bengal since a long time. The next quest, however, remains the crucial 2018 panchayat polls. The Opposition too must accept the people's verdict gracefully and gear up.