Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is planning to “pay the BJP back in same coins” by fielding Trinamool Congress candidates from Gujarat, sources close to her said. Mamata is chalking out her programme and could campaign alongside Anna Hazare and actor-turned-Rajya Sabha Member Mithun Chakraborty in India’s western State.
On whether Trinamool has even outside chances to throw an impact in Narendra Modi’s State, senior Trinamool leader Partho Chatterjee said, “No outfit contests to lose” adding his party was hopeful of giving a good fight in Gujarat.
The party is planning to field candidates in at least 16 constituencies in Gujarat and “things would be finalised soon”, a senior leader said.
Mamata earlier said the “BJP will never be able to form the Government in the Centre”, is particularly peeved with the saffron outfit for fielding candidates in Bengal where its following is growing by the weeks if opinion polls are any indication.
Sources feel that with its vote share burgeoning to more than 13 per cent almost double than that of the Congress the BJP can emerge as a major game-changer in Bengal. The Trinamool leaders also feel that the party has good chances in Nadia, Howrah, Kolkata North and Dum Dum.
On why the Chief Minister laying so much stress on Modi’s State she had on Wednesday said that “if Gujarat Chief Minister can come here why cannot I go thereIJ” Banerjee is aware that apart from gobbling up Congress vote share the BJP can eat into the Trinamool vote bank in a big way thanks to her appeasement of minorities.
Meanwhile, criticising the Election Commission for making the polls in Bengal a five-phases affair “whereas they are doing it only in a single phase in Gujarat though the law and order situation in our State is better” senior TMC leader Mukul Roy said EC’s actions were not free from bias.