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general elections

in deciding all issues, including family Didi’s ‘bhais’. the wake of media reports indicating
disputes. The TMC under Mamata Banerjee was large numbers of educated and unedu-
Enhanced powers of the village com- swept to power on the slogan of Maa, cated, skilled and non-skilled people
mittee in managing village affairs, includ- Maati, Maanush, the slogan that gained moving out to other states for greener
ing the distribution of fodder and ferti- prominence during the mass movement pastures.
lizers, gave the Left cadres full hold on against the Left Front government-spon-
rural politics. The rural and urban elite was sored land acquisition in the villages of BJP’s manoeuvrability
absorbed in administrative and other Singur and Nandigram. Having won two Lok Sabha seats in 2014
jobs in return for loyalty to the party. After coming to power in 2011, Mamata along with jump in its vote share up to 17
The TMC’s strategy of gradual penetra- Banerjee announced a slew of welfare per cent from its miserable 2009 tally
tion through Panchayats and its win- measures like Kanyashree — a scheme to of 9 per cent, the BJP in West Bengal was
ning streak from the panchayats in 2008 empower girl child through education — buoyed up. However, this glee over vote
onwards enabled it to wrest power from and Khadya Sathi scheme of providing rice share jump proved short-lived because
the Left in 2011. at 2 to ensure food security to 90 per cent in 2016 StateAssembly elections, the BJP’s
people in the state. vote share tumbled to 10 per cent.
TMC’s tactical stratagem Popularity of the TMC rule helped it Nevertheless, the party leadership has
By 2008, TMC had managed to wrest to retain power for the second time with continued to nurture high electoral hopes
panchayats from the Left and began increased number of seats in the state from West Bengal. Electoral significance
taking over the formidable village or- assembly in 2016.Nevertheless, the TMC of West Bengal started receiving added
ganizations and by the time TMC swept government is on the backfoot on the emphasis in BJP’s overall strategy in the
to power in 2011, Left ‘cadre’ had become question of providing jobs, especially in aftermath of party’s loss of three states in

Tehelka / 31 may 2019 27 www.Tehelka.com