While BJP has been struggling with internal feud, for TMC the biggest challenge is to get a replacement for Mukul Roy even as countdown for 2016 assembly elections has kicked off in the state
Mumbai : Political parties in West Bengal these days have something in common irrespective of their ideological differences. Leadership crisis has been bothering BJP, CPIM and even ruling Trinamool Congress after most of its prominent faces found mention in the chit-fund scam.
The state will go to polls in the first half of 2016, less than a year from now.
National president of BJP, Amit Shah has been facing a tough task ahead. He has to infuse fresh lease of life in his party unit in West Bengal which also has been witnessing internal feuds. Power struggle between BJP state chief Rahul Sinha and new entrant Roopa Ganguly has now come wide-open making Shah and his colleague Kailash Vijayvargiya’s job more challenging. Vijayvargiya is the new observer for BJP in West Bengal. Roopa played the role of Draupadi in popular television serial Mahabharata.
Meanwhile, leadership crisis also continues to dent future prospect of CPIM which though managed to do better in the municipal elections this April. Meanwhile, chief minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee has been fielding nephew Abhishek Banerjee as party’s face after Mukul Roy was grilled by CBI.
“Abhishek is young and people love him. He is immensely popular among young voters and urban crowd and so he has been asked to reach out,” said a TMC leader.
But where is Mukul Roy these days? “I can’t comment,” the leader who is also a Lok Sabha MP said. Sources say, Roy has been asked to stay away from media glare and work from a quiet corner.
“There is no rift within the party’s unit and both Sinha and Roopa have been working towards making our Mission-2016 a success. There may be certain differences of opinion which is healthy and party’s senior leaders have been guiding state unit so that it can do better in the elections next year,” Vijayvargiya told Free Press Journal.
Vijayvargiya was the BJP observer for Haryana last year. He ensured party’s smooth victory.
“Rahulda has been doing his work and I am doing mine as assigned by the party leadership. There is no feud,” said Roopa.
“Our party is driven by masses and not by faces. Had there been fair elections in April, we would have done much better and we do not need faces of our leaders to garner votes as we seek votes on the basis of ideology,” said Lok Sabha MP and CPIM politburo member, Md Salim.
“BJP and TMC have joined hands together to defeat us. There is no difference between Amit Shah and Amit Mitra (Industries Minister in Mamata cabinet), they both are acting against Communist parties in connivance with each other,” Salim told FPJ over phone.
“All these years, CPIM did not let second-tier leadership grow which is now affecting its political activities here,” commented a political observer.
“The elections next year may have two faces on the posters, Didi and Draupadi (Roopa Ganguly),” he added.
Joydeep R Ray
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