Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has put up its finest present in Meghalaya but, by successful 5 seats within the 60-member meeting. Nevertheless, alongside its failure to win even one seat in Tripura, the tally doesn’t look ok to maintain occasion supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nationwide aspirations.
Whereas the occasion secured round 14 per cent votes in Meghalaya, its vote share in Tripura was lower than 1 per cent, in response to Election Fee information. It contested 56 seats in Meghalaya, and 28 of 60 in Tripura.
Voting for the Meghalaya meeting occurred on 27 February, with a voter turnout of 85.17 per cent. Polling for one seat — Sohiong — was postponed following the demise of United Democratic Social gathering (UDP) candidate H.D.R. Lyngdoh on 20 February.
The TMC first arrange base within the state in 2012, however contested its maiden Meghalaya meeting election in 2018. It fielded candidates from 8 seats however gained none.
After the defection of 12 Congress MLAs in 2021, the TMC turned the principal opposition occasion within the Meghalaya meeting with out an electoral struggle, prompting Banerjee to launch a high-decibel ballot marketing campaign within the northeastern state.
In November 2021, two-term former chief minister Mukul Sangma — together with 11 sitting MLAs — dumped the Congress and joined the TMC. The remaining 5 Congress MLAs joined the Nationwide Individuals’s Social gathering (NPP) and the UDP, wiping out the Congress to make the TMC the first rival of the ruling NPP-led coalition.
The Congress had gained 21 seats in 2018, however 4 of those have been misplaced earlier to a resignation and bypoll losses.
This yr, although, the TMC’s ultimate tally was the identical as that of the Congress — 5 — which ran a lacklustre marketing campaign that noticed Rahul Gandhi visiting Shillong as soon as and different high leaders staying away.
Addressing a media briefing in Kolkata Thursday, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee mentioned: “There was some confusion as a result of Congress mentioned Mamata Banerjee was additionally in Congress. Earlier, I used to be in Congress. There’s some confusion. We are going to work it out.”
After Thursday’s outcomes, the TMC didn’t retain its place because the principal challenger of the NPP, which has gained 26 seats. The UDP turned the second largest occasion, bagging 11 seats.
In 2018, the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), got here to energy with assist from the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP), the UDP, and different regional events. Nevertheless, all events determined to go it alone forward of the meeting polls this yr.
Within the run-up to the polls, whereas TMC nationwide common secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited Meghalaya 7 instances starting June 2022, Mamata Banerjee visited the state thrice, with the primary of those coming in December 2022, in response to information supplied by the occasion.
TMC MP Derek O’Brien and West Bengal minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia had been given cost of the state to garner assist for the occasion and monitor its grassroots attain.
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‘Put nationwide ambitions on maintain’
After the Trinamool’s victory within the 2021 West Bengal meeting election, the occasion was projected because the BJP’s principal challenger nationally. Whereas the BJP elevated its tally within the state, Mamata’s win was seen to have defeated the high-powered marketing campaign unleashed by the previous to kind its first authorities in Bengal.
Emboldened by her occasion’s success, Mamata Banerjee began questioning the Congress’s capability to tackle the BJP nationally.
“Now we have by no means thought or talked about constructing a entrance with out the Congress. Nevertheless, in actuality, the Congress has miserably failed in combating the BJP,” she wrote in a particular function, titled ‘Dillir Dak (The Name of Delhi)’, in occasion mouthpiece Jago Bangla in 2021.
The primary blow got here in Tripura the place it may handle to clinch just one seat throughout the 2021 civic polls. Within the 2022 Goa elections, the occasion contested 26 seats in an alliance with the the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Social gathering (MGP), however didn’t win even one within the 40-member meeting.
It was pinning lots of hope on the Meghalaya meeting ballot outcomes. A powerful present in Meghalaya — even because the principal opposition occasion — was anticipated to catapult the TMC as a contender for the management spot within the opposition camp.
In exit polls, political analysts had predicted a hung meeting for Meghalaya, with a tally of 11 for the TMC.
Terming the Meghalaya elections “complicated”, Susmita Sengupta, political science professor on the North-Japanese Hill College in Shillong, advised ThePrint that exit polls often overlook regional events.
“The UDP has completed higher than the TMC in Meghalaya. Rallies at all times don’t translate into votes. The TMC is a brand new occasion and Meghalaya has a fancy election the place tribals play an enormous function,” she mentioned.
“Furthermore, the TMC’s tainted picture in West Bengal is well-known in Meghalaya. Everybody has seen the scams over the past one yr that the TMC has been linked to. So, it isn’t a shock TMC failed to realize main inroads and has managed a single-digit [score] within the state after being the principal opposition occasion. With this outcome, the TMC has to place its nationwide goals on maintain for now,” she added.
Echoing Sengupta’s views that the occasion must work laborious to make its presence felt nationally, political analyst Sourjya Bhowmik advised ThePrint that the TMC’s efficiency was no shock.
“With the numbers in hand, the NPP and the BJP can use cash energy to purchase out the TMC candidates. The TMC remains to be restricted in West Bengal and, on a day like this, it has additionally misplaced the bypoll in Sagardighi, after its MLA’s dying, to the Congress. It failed Goa, it failed in Tripura, and now Meghalaya. The TMC must re-strategise and return to the drafting board…,” he mentioned.
Nevertheless, political analyst Udayan Bandopadhyay mentioned the TMC carried out properly in Meghalaya. “The TMC shouldn’t be dissatisfied. It’s a nationwide occasion on paper already. The TMC has made inroads in Meghalaya and if the opposition was united, could be the end result may have been totally different.”
(Edited by Anumeha Saxena)
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