NEW DELHI: The three byelections to the West Bengal assembly that will be held on February 23 could be the first test for the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) that came to office in May 2011 with a massive mandate on whether its popularity continues or has started to dip. The bypolls will be followed by panchayat elections in the state likely in May.
The three byelections have to be held in Nalhati (Birbhum district), Rezinagar (Murshidabad district) and English Bazar (Malda district). While Nalhati fell vacant when President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit moved out to contest from his father's parliamentary constituency, the other two MLAs — Humayun Kabir (Rezinagar) and Krishnendu Chaudhury (English Bazar) — left Congress and moved to Trinamool with ministerial berths.
The bypoll results scheduled for February 28 will also test the Congress's strength in Malda and Murshidabad which have been party strongholds even when it lost out in most of the state. Congress strongman Adhir Choudhury, who was made MoS railways after TMC left the UPA, will also be put to test over the bypolls. CM Mamata Banerjee's ploy of luring Congress members into TMC with offers of ministership was to weaken Choudhury, known for his considerable hold over the Murshidabad-Malda region.
With the Banerjee government coming under severe criticism over issues like law and order and fixing of minimum support price for paddy, all parties, including the ruling TMC, are keenly awaiting the by-election results.
"While TMC leaders are expecting to win all the three seats which have high Muslim population, the fight is between Congress and CPM in English Bazar and Rezinagar. The main contest for the Nalhati seat is likely to be between TMC and Left," a senior Congress leader in the state said.
Nalhati was held by Forward Bloc, a constituent of the Left Front in the state, before Abhijit Mukherjee won the seat for first time in 2011.
However, with the Congress and TMC having parted ways, the 2011 story of non-Left votes consolidating in the state is already history. The picture was clear when Abhijit had a wafer thin margin of 2,500 votes when he got elected from his father's parliamentary seat of Jangipur last year.
The Congress fear, however, is that the Left may gain if the Trinamool slides, whereas it should have benefited in these Muslim dominated constituencies. But Congress in Bengal has failed to get its Muslim support base back, which will now go back to CPM if it turns away from TMC. This was evident in Jangipur, a senior Congress leader said.
Stern test for Mamata, Congress in Bengal bypolls
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Stern test for Mamata, Congress in Bengal bypolls
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Stern test for Mamata, Congress in Bengal bypolls
