Mamata to lead TMC campaign, rely on aides for electioneering in her constituency

CHief government minister Mamata Banerjee is banking on her trusted lieutenants to run in her Bhabanipur constituency in southward calcutta, as she is expected to be mostly aside leading the Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s electioneering across West Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the outgoing assembly, against Banerjee in Bhabanipur, which goes to the polls on April 29.Banerjee was scheduled to launch the TMC’s campaign from North Bengal on Tuesday. She was expected to tour Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Bankura, Purulia, Burdwan, and West Midnapore districts over the next seven days.“Banerjee will be away from Kolkata most of the time over the next month as she will lead the party’s campaign across the state along with [TMC parliament member] Abhishek Banerjee. Some of the party’s veteran leaders close to Banerjee will lead the campaign in Bhabanipur in her absence,” said a TMC leader.Cabinet minister Firhad Hakim, one of Banerjee’s trusted lieutenants who campaigned for her in Bhabanipur’s Chetla, said she is just reminding people that she is their daughter. “The people are with Mamatadi. We have already said that this time we will win from Bhabanipur with a margin of more than 60,000 votes. People say we need not come and campaign as they are with Didi [Banerjee]. We are hitting the streets just to exchange greetings with the people,” Hakim said on Monday.State minister Aroop Biswas, Rajya Sabha member Subrata Bakshi, eight ward councillors, and TMC’s star campaigners will also campaign in Bhabanipur. Bakshi has been associated with Banerjee since 1983.Bhabanipur has been a TMC bastion, and Banerjee has been winning the seat since 2011. In 2021, Banerjee won the seat in a by-election with a record margin of 58,832 votes after losing to Adhikari from Nandigram by 1,956 votes. Bhabanipur comes under the South Kolkata Lok Sabha seat.TMC’s Mala Roy, who won the South Kolkata seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, had a lead of 8,207 votes in Bhabanipur.Adhikari said he would win from Bhabanipur with a margin of 25,000 votes. “Everyone knows how the by-election was held in 2021. After that, the Lok Sabha polls were held. The margin of 58,000 votes is not there anymore.”People aware of the matter said at least 46,812 voters have been removed in Bhabanipur. As many as 44,470 names were dropped in the draft electoral roll. Another 2,342 names were deleted after hearings in the final roll. At least 14,154 voters’ claims are under adjudication.Adhikari launched his campaign in Bhabanipur on March 19, four days after the poll dates were announced. Banerjee held a closed-door meeting with party leaders and workers in Bhabanipur on March 22.Sudeb Pal, a tea stall owner in Chetla, said they want Banerjee to win again. “She has been with us for around a year. What is the BJP’s activity here? TMC leaders, who were either dropped or betrayed the party, are now with the BJP. She will win hands down.”Raktima Das, a housewife, said when it comes to choosing between Banerjee and Adhikari, they would always choose Didi.