Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as the chief minister of West Bengal for the third time a year ago, on May 5. She took over the reins of Bengal for the first time in 2011 when her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), defeated the Left Front and ended its 34-year rule. While the 2021 victory was historic, the last one year has been the most challenging period for her party and her government.
Significance of Mamata’s 2021 Victory
The 2021 Assembly polls were one of the most pitched and polarised electoral battles in recent years. The TMC got 213 seats of the 292 that went to polls, with a vote share of nearly 48 per cent. The BJP, which entered the battle to win, could get 77 seats with a vote share of 38 per cent. However, it propelled the party to the No.2 position in the state – or the principal challenger to the TMC.
The election proved what many in Bengal had already known – that Left parties in Bengal have become politically insignificant. Both the Left and the Congress failed to open their accounts in the election. Since the Assembly election in May last year, the TMC has performed well in the bypolls and the civic polls, further consolidating its position in the state.
The Centre-state Tussle
While Mamata Banerjee-led TMC won the Assembly election with a clear mandate, the politics of Bengal has changed with the BJP becoming the main opposition party. In the last one year, there have also been several instances of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankar not seeing eye to eye on administration issues.
Violence and Corruption
Allegations of corruption against the TMC regime have increased dramatically in the last year, besides a deterioration in the law and order situation in Bengal. The allegations of violence surfaced just after election results were out last year; however, the Mamata Banerjee government rejected all such claims. Later, the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe into the matter.
Instances of violence are being reported on a daily basis in Bengal. A few months ago, a young student activist Anis Khan was allegedly killed by men wearing police uniform; nine people were burnt to death in Rampurhat in Birbhum in retaliatory violence in March this year; last month, a minor was allegedly raped in Hanskhali in Nadia district. In all these cases, allegations have been made against the ruling party or the local administration.
Allegation of irregularities in the admission of SSC (School Service Commission) applicants shook the state as thousands of applicants took to the streets. In the last one year, the Calcutta High Court on several occasions has ordered a CBI probe into a matter.
Infighting, Goa Drubbing
In the last one year, there have been several occasions when disenchantment with the leadership has come to the fore. Further, in its goal of expanding the party, it has become clear that the TMC now has two power centres. One is made up of old guards loyal to party supremo Mamata Banerjee, and the other is made up of new blood led by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
To make matters difficult, TMC’s showing in Goa was dismal. This, as the Aam Aadmi Party after winning Punjab is expanding its base in other states. With a few more states under his belt, Arvind Kejriwal can be projected as a more successful opposition leader than Mamata Banerjee.
Bengal’s Most Popular Leader
Despite all this, Mamata Banerjee’s political and administrative experience has helped the TMC win elections. The chief minister launched the ‘Lakshmi Bhandar’ scheme last year which provides a monthly financial assistance to women heads of the family. Her political image and street fighting skills have made her Bengal’s most popular leader.
Mamata Banerjee will continue to be the undisputed leader of her party and Bengal in the coming years, but there are numerous early warnings in the first year itself, signs that should not be ignored.
The author is an independent journalist based in Kolkata and a former policy research fellow at the Delhi Assembly Research Center. He tweets @sayantan_gh. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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