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Mithun Chakraborty who called himself a pure cobra at Brigade rally is missing from candidate-list of BJP

Mithun Chakraborty who called himself a pure cobra at Brigade rally is missing from candidate-list of BJP

Mithun Chakraborty is missing from the complete roster of the 294 candidates announced by BJP.   On Tuesday, BJP announced the final list of 13 candidates for the upcoming election in West Bengal.

Also See: West Bengal 2021: Battleground for BJP and TMC

The seat of Rashbehari, many believed, was reserved for the ‘Dada’ of Bengali cinema, Mithun Chakraborty, but in that seat BJP has fielded retired Lt General Subrata Saha. Chakraborty had shared the dais with Modi at the BJP’s Brigade Parade Ground rally in Kolkata on March 7, which saw a scanty response.

Also See: Battle for Bengal gets pithier as election days getting closer

In that rally Mithun Chakraborty had said, “I am not a harmless water snake or a harmless desert snake. I am a pure cobra. With one strike, I will turn you into a photograph.” The comment had led to a rousing reception. But, his non-inclusion in the candidate-list came as a dampener. He had also recently enlisted as a voter in Cossipore-Belgachhia constituency, Kolkata, transferring his voting card from Mumbai.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Chakraborty is scheduled to campaign in Nandigram on March 30 for Suvendu Adhikari. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to be present at that road-show.

Former Chief Economic Advisor Ashok Lahiri, fielded earlier from Alipurduar in North Bengal and then replaced, is back as candidate from Balurghat.

A key change in the list published pertains to Gaighata in North 24 Parganas district where the new candidate is Subrata Thakur. He is the brother of Shantanu Thakur, the BJP MP representing the Matua community, believed to be upset with the party for failing to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and lifting the uncertainty over their citizenship.

The schedule for the upcoming elections in India (four states and a UT) was announced on February, 26, 2021. In West Bengal, the election will be held in 8 phases from March 27 to April, 29 and the vote counting will take place on May, 02, 2021.

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In Sonachura, Nandigram, people hurled slogans calling Suvendu Adhikari Mir Jafar

MB-SA-1

In Sonachura, a village in Nandigram region, the vehicle of Suvendu Adhikari was surrounded by the supporters of Mamata Banerjee. The TMC-cadres and supporters of Mamata Banerjee started shouting slogans against Suvendu Adhikari calling him Mir Jafar.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Earlier, Mamata Banerjee at a rally in East Midnapore, had severely castigated BJP saying, “Bid farewell to BJP, we do not want BJP. We do not want to see Modi’s face. We do not want riots, loots, Duryodhan, Durshasana, Mir Jafar.” Taking a jibe at the leaders who defected to BJP from TMC, CM Banerjee termed the mass exodus as a good riddance, and called the defectors traitors.

CM Mamata Banerjee had recently upped the ante against her former protégé, Adhikari. At the rally in Tamluk area in East Midnapore, she added that her care for Adhikari was blind and that she will no more tolerate any gaddar (traitor) & that there is no place for Mir Jafars in the party.

CM-Mamata Banerjee also highlighted that the fate of people like Modi and Amit Shah in 2024 LS-elections would be decided by the West Bengal 2021 election.

Suvendu, in his campaign praised the vaccination drive initiated by PM, and again unsurprisingly brought in the name of Pakistan while criticizing the opposition.

The schedule for the upcoming elections in India (four states and a UT) was announced on February, 26, 2021. In West Bengal, the election will be held in 8 phases from March 27, 2021 to April, 29, 2021 and the vote counting will take place on May, 02, 2021.

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Suvendu Adhikari filed nomination from Nandigram Assembly constituency in a fight against Mamata Banerjee

Suvendu Adhikari

On Friday, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari filed his nomination from the Nandigram Assembly constituency against his mentor-turned-opponent Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. He said that he was “100 percent” confident of his win. Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Smriti Irani also took part in the rally before Adhikari filed the nomination papers. “I am 100 percent confident of my victory in Nandigram. The people of the area are with me. I am the son of the soil,” he told reporters.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

The Battle for Nandigram has got sharpened with the face-off between Mamata and Suvendu, with Mamata suffering an injury at the Birulia Bazaar few days back. Two days after CM Mamata Banerjee suffered an injury in Nandigram, a TMC-delegation of six MPs in a formal complaint to the Election Commission alleged a “deep-rooted BJP conspiracy” behind the attack and asked for an “immediate and unbiased” investigation of the same. The delegation included TMC MPs Dereck O’Brien, Saugata Roy, Satabdi Roy, Kakoli G. Dastidar, Pratima Mondal and Santanu Sen.

On the same day (March 12), Mamata Banerjee was released from the hospital with the doctors stating that CM Banerjee had responded well to treatment and that they have given certain medical advice to her during her release.

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Politicking over Mantras: Suvendu Adhikari played recording and said that Mamata Banerjee’s renditions of mantras are wrong

Politicking over Mantras

Mamata Banerjee had on Tuesday, recited passages of “Chandi-path” or chants for Goddess Durga and declared, “You cannot teach me Hinduism. I have shown you that I know the mantras to Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kali and Durga. It is not how you do it, memorizing some lines before the election and dropping them at meetings.”

In this regard, Mamata Banerjee’s renditions of Hindu chants were mocked  by her one-time aide turned BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari, who slammed the Bengal Chief Minister’s “I am a Hindu girl” comment.

Mamata was speaking at Nandigram, where she faces Suvendu Adhikari as her BJP rival in the election starting March 27.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Mr Adhikari, at a public meeting, came prepared with ammo. He played a recording of the chants and then replayed Mamata Banerjee’s version. “Her Chandi-path was all mangled. Her mantras were wrong.”

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

Mr Adhikari rubbed it in by referring to Yogi Adityanath, the saffron-robed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister who is among the BJP’s star campaigners in Bengal.

“Yogi can chant correct mantras, he should be brought here once to correct Mamata Banerjee’s chants. I want Yogi-ji to come here and do that,” he said.

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

Adhikari who had recently thrown “outsider” comment on Mamata, continued his attack on his former boss, accusing her of using “Hindu dharma” for politics. It is worthwhile to note that the Insider vs Outsider debate was launched by TMC to attack BJP, which is trying to make inroads into the state-polity.

Also See: West Bengal 2021: Battleground for BJP and TMC

Mamata Banerjee last week announced that she would give up her Bhowanipore seat and contest from Nandigram, the stronghold of Mr Adhikari, in the Bengal election starting March 27.

After her workers’ rally at Nandigram town, she visited several temples and offered prayers.

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Bengal election update: In Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari likely to have an electoral face-off with Mamata Banerjee

Mamata-Suv

Political battlelines are drawn for the face-off in West Bengal assembly election 2021. A report on Friday confirmed that Suvendu Adhikari will be fighting polls against Mamata Banerjee from the Nandigram seat. According to a report by India Today, a source confirmed the development following BJP’s central election committee (CEC) meeting yesterday. The meeting was attended by Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda. Meanwhile, the BJP is expected to release the first list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal polls in a day or two. The saffron camp has shortlisted on an average of 4-5 names per seat for the initial two phases of polling in the state.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

All eyes are set on Nandigram as it will witness a high-profile contest between Adikari and Mamata. Adhikari had earlier asserted that he will defeat his former boss by “at least 50,000 votes” if fielded from the Nandigram constituency.

Adhikari held a key position in the TMC-led West Bengal cabinet and was in charge of the state’s transport, irrigation, and waterways in the Mamata Banerjee government. He, last year, tendered his resignation and switched over to BJP.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

State party chief Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will definitely win atleast 200 of the total 294 Assembly seats. “We will not get less than 200 (seats). It will definitely be more than 200. We did not begin preparations today, we had started five years back,” said Ghosh. But, if reports of the local Bengali dailies are to be believed, then the BJP-high command are in fact asking the contenders in the various seats in the state, whether they will be able to win, which confirms the assertion made by I-PAC chief Prashant Kishor.

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Suvendu Adhikari with other leaders from TMC joined into BJP at the Midnapore rally of Amit Shah

Bringing an end to the long-running grapevine generating speculations looming over his political career, ex-TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari joined BJP as he took up the saffron flag from the hands of Amit Shah. Adhikari was introduced to BJP with a thunderous applaud from the huge crowd present at Shah’s rally in Midnapore collegiate ground.

Adhikari, the former Minister of Transport, Irrigation, and Water resource in Government of West Bengal, has taken with him a total of more than 40 TMC leaders to the BJP.

Nine MLAs, 6 from TMC, one from CPIM, one from CPI, and one from the INC joined BJP. One sitting and a former TMC MP also defected to the saffron hindutva camp. The following are the names of the leaders who switched loyalty: Banasree Maity- Contai North MLA (TMC), Tapasi Mondal- Haldiya purba MLA(CPIM), Ashok dinda-Tamluk MLA (CPI), Sudip Mukherjee-Purulia(INC), Biswajit Kundu-Kalna(TMC), Saikat Panja- Burdwan Purba(TMC), Shilbhadra Dutta-Barrackpore(TMC), Dipali Biswas- Gajol Maldah (TMC), Sukra Munda- Nagarkata, Jalpaiguri(TMC).

The MP of Burdwan Purba, Sunil Mondal followed the suit, kept his allegiance to Adhikari and joined into BJP. SP Mukherjee, an ex parliamentarian had travelled to the venue of the mega-rally at Midnapore from the guest house in Kolaghat, where all the defecting leaders from TMC had gathered. Some other prominent faces in TMC who switched sides to BJP were Col. Diptangshu Chaudhury, Ashish Dutta, and Bappa Majumdar from Alipurduar, Kartik Pal and Prafulla Barman from Uttar Dinajpur, former MLAs in Dakshin Dinajpur-Satyen Ray & Debashish Majumdar and others.

Since the ground-level support for TMC was bolstered by the efforts and organization of Suvendu Adhikari, and as his supporters are spread across almost all districts in West Bengal, this shift of Adhikari and others to BJP can impact the election. But, the TMC has maintained that it would not have that much effect on the upcoming state assembly elections. The confidence of TMC reflects the support that the party would get from other non- BJP parties like NCP.

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After Suvendu Adhikari, MLA Jitendra Tiwari exited the TMC party-criticizes TMC after quitting

Jitendra Tiwari

After the exit of Suvendu Adhikari, MLA Jitendra Tiwari on Thursday exited the TMC party stating that he has not been allowed to work for the people. After quitting as MLA, Suvendu Adhikari on December 16 had resigned from the primary membership of the TMC, intensifying speculations that he might switch over to the BJP later this week.

MLA Tiwari has also resigned from his post of a primary member of the party. He heavily criticized the TMC-led government after quitting and said that the state government does not value his life. Tiwari becomes the second leader to resign from the party within a span of 24 hours, following the footsteps of rebel TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari who resigned from the party on Wednesday.

“I have resigned from the post of the chairman of the Board of Administrators of Asansol Municipal Corporation. If I am not allowed to work, what will I do with the post? So, I resigned,” Tiwari was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

“There is no point in continuing in the TMC as I am not being allowed to work for the people,” Tiwari alleged.

His exit comes when the speculations are rife with reports of TMC leaders switching parties and joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even as the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that BJP leaders are trying to coerce her party members to exit and join the “saffron camp”.

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Suvendu Adhikari formally resigned as an MLA of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly

Suvendu Adhikari

Rebel leader in Trinamool Congress and Minister Suvendu Adhikari formally resigned as an MLA of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Disgruntled with the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, Adhikari had resigned from the state cabinet last month.

The MLA of Nandigram constituency in Purba Medinipur district said in a letter to the Speaker, “I hereby tender my resignation as a member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Steps may be taken for its immediate acceptance.”  Suvendu Adhikari was the key man behind Mamata Banerjee’s movement in Nandigram in East Midnapore in 2007 which helped her oust the 34-year Left Front rule in Bengal.

According to the sources close to him, Adhikari is likely to resign from the party’s primary membership within a day or two and is expected to cross over to the saffron camp later this week. His induction is likely to happen during Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state later this week. Adhikari is expected to travel to Delhi before switching sides. He is also expected to be given security by the Union home ministry, formalities for which are currently in process.

Also see: West Bengal election 2021- battleground for TMC and BJP

BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy hailed Adhikari’s decision and said that the saffron party would welcome him with open arms. “The day Suvendu Adhikari had resigned from the state cabinet, I had said I would be happy if he leaves the TMC and join the BJP. Today he has resigned as MLA, and I welcome his decision,” Roy said.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh also lauded Adhikari’s decision and said that the BJP would be happy to welcome him. Efforts by veteran TMC leaders like Saugata Roy and Sudip Bandopadhyay for reconciliation had failed to placate Adhikari.

Before quitting as the minister for transport and irrigation, Adhikari had been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and had not been attending state cabinet meetings.

TMC has already decided that it will not take any further initiative to convince the disgruntled Adhikari to remain in the party.  Reacting to the development, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said, “it’s a good relief”. Kalyan Banerjee also added, “It’s a good relief that he has resigned from the post of MLA. He is overambitious and wants to join BJP as he wants to become the next CM or deputy CM. He can go ahead, we are confident of winning the next assembly polls under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.”

For the last few months, Adhikari was seen addressing rallies without using TMC symbols and flags. In all the rallies, a sea of people claiming to be part of ‘Amra Dadar Anugami’ (elder brother’s followers) was seen marching behind Adhikari.

On December 2, he reportedly had expressed his dismay through a WhatsApp message to party MP Saugata Roy over details of the meeting (to resolve the differences between him and the party) being leaked to the media claiming that all the ‘issues’ were resolved. Adhikari, in his message, mentioned that he was supposed to address the media on December 6 but he did not like the way details of the meeting were shared with journalists before his scheduled press conference.

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Adhikari is peeved at the talks that all have been sorted out- conveys ‘difficult to work with the party anymore’

Adhikari

Suvendu Adhikari, heavyweight in TMC is miffed with the senior TMC leaders for divulging the details of the meeting in the media and claiming that all differences with him had been sorted out.

People close to the rebellious leader said on Wednesday, a day after negotiation talks, that the impasse between the disgruntled TMC leader and West Bengal’s ruling party is not over yet.

They also said that Adhikari, an influential leader with a mass base has conveyed to the TMC leadership that it is “difficult for him to work with the party anymore”.

On Tuesday, Adhikari, who recently stepped down from the state minister’s post, had held a high-level meeting with TMC MPs Abhishek Banerjee, Sougata Roy and Sudip Bandopadhyay and election strategist Prashant Kishor.

The rebel leader did not want the details of what transpired at the back-channel talks to be leaked to the media.

‘Claim of patch-up with TMC leadership is false‘

Sources close to Adhikari said that the TMC leadership’s claim of a patch-up with the MLA was “false” and that he is unpacified as his grievances have not been addressed yet.

The leader has informed the party leadership that “it will be tough for him to work together with the party as its leaders had gone to the media making false claims without the problems raised by him getting resolved and without giving him a chance to speak”.

After Adhikari’s dismay over TMC’s rapprochement claim, senior party leader and Lok Sabha MP Sougata Roy said,” Whatever I had stated on Tuesday night was the truth about the outcome of the meeting. Now, if Suvendu has changed his position, it is for him to clarify. I have nothing more to say.”

When asked about a possibility of another round of meeting with the sulking leader, Sougata Roy said that the party is unlikely to initiate fresh talks with Suvendu.

Several attempts to bring him back

Adhikari’s resignation from the Mamata Banerjee cabinet last week came as a big blow for the TMC which has been trying to pacify the disgruntled leader through several rounds of back-channel talks.

Adhikari’s close aid said that the MLA was upset that Roy disclosed the details of the meeting in media on Tuesday night days ahead of a press conference scheduled for December 6.

“Suvendu da had sought some time after the meeting to express his views. But some party leaders tried to paint a different picture altogether. He did not like it. And now everything has reached a dead end,” the leader close to Adhikari said.

Adhikari resigned as Minister of Transport, Irrigation and Waterways on Friday amid reports of differences with the party leadership, triggering speculation that he may quit the ruling TMC ahead of the next year’s Assembly polls.

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After resigning from cabinet, Suvendu Adhikari asks his supporters to be ready to hit the streets

Suvendu Adhikari

It was learnt that a day after he resigned from the ministership in the cabinet in Bengal government, TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari has asked the MLAs and leaders supporting him to be ready to hit the streets. Meanwhile, the TMC leadership has made it known that the doors are still open for Adhikary to come back in dialogue.

Suvendu Adhikary, apart from quitting the cabinet, had also recently resigned from the HRBC and the Haldia Development Authority.

A close confidante of Adhikary revealed that the followers and the MLAs supporting him form a huge supporter base which can help him to build a separate organization. The supporters of Adhikary are ready in more than five districts, said his close associate. The support base of Suvendu Adhikary had for the last few months promoted the idea of a separate organization under the banner of  “Amra Dadar Anugami”, meaning-We are followers of the elder brother. Adding to the discomfort of TMC, this separate supporter-base of Adhikary had made the rift in the TMC visible in various regions like East and West Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, Kolkata, Siliguri, and Jhargram.

The TMC leadership has placed MP Saugata Roy to communicate and bring back Adhikary into proper TMC-fold. It has been guessed by some observers that Adhikary might be pulled into BJP, with regular hints and indications coming from Bengal unit leaders of the saffron party.

The TMC had recently called up Adhikary’s father Sisir in order to influence him to get back.