There were rumblings against Prashant Kishor from a growing number of Trinamool MPs. (File)
Calcutta:
In Bengal, the opposition BJP and the Left Congress met separately today to develop a strategy for the Bengal Assembly elections, which are barely six months away. For the ruling Trinamool Congress, the job is done by electoral strategist Prashant Kishor. Some party MPs mock him, their voices louder after Mr Kishor’s candidacy last week failed to meet disgruntled Trinamool leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Latest reports suggest that the Trinamool has finally started reaching out to Suvendu Adhikari. An anonymous party MP reportedly had a top secret meeting with the Trinamool minister on Monday. There are reports that a high-level meeting could be held again today.
Throughout the day, the firepower of the BJP was on display. Senior leaders from Delhi have demarcated Bengal into five zones, putting a central party leader in charge of each.
Sunil Deodhar, the party strategist that tore Tripura from the left, said: “I am convinced that we will win in Bengal by a two-thirds majority.” He is in charge of the Medinipur area.
The ‘Rarhbanga area was assigned to Binod Sonkar, Uttar Banga to Harish Dwivedi, Kolkata to Dushyant Gautam and Nabadwip to Binod Tawade.
The zones in charge will meet on November 18, 19 and 20, review the party’s position, and send a report to the Union’s Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, who is the party’s chief strategist.
According to their reports, Mr. Shah could return to Kolkata on November 30. If he does, he will visit twice in less than a month.
The last time he was in Calcutta, Shah set himself a target of 200 out of 294 seats in Bengal for the BJP.
Mr. Amit Malviya, head of the IT cell who is now co-observer for Bengal, repeated this objective. “Bengal has decided to vote Mamata Banerjee and give 200 seats to the BJP.”
Asked about Mr Malviya’s rush to Bengal, BJP Head of State Dilip Ghosh said: “At least we are not using hired people to stimulate the party. Our people are party workers. who come to Bengal for the elections. “
The Trinamool knows he is at the center of all BJP polling strategies, but the leaders seem unfazed. Trinamool MP Sougata Roy said: “Amit Shah’s goal is a dream and will never come true. His party is just repeating what it says. No need to take it seriously.”
Mr. Roy is also not worried about the rumblings against Prashant Kishor from a growing number of MPs and other party leaders.
“Do we have to learn the politics of PK? Who is PK? If Trinamool suffers in Bengal, it will be PK’s fault,” Niamat Sheikh, MP for Trinamool in Murshidabad district, said at a public meeting on Sunday.
Cooch Behar MP Mihir Goswami had also expressed disgust and resigned from all organizational positions in the party six weeks ago.
Mr Goswami today posted several questions on social media, including: “Is Trinamool still Mamata Banerjee’s party?”
“The party seems to be in the hands of an entrepreneur. A company like IPAC … will give orders or questions of party organization and a veteran politician like me will have to obey, it’s painful,” he added.
Today, another Member of Parliament for Sitai in Cooch Behar District raised similar questions about IPAC.
