THE LAST LEG

PLAYING THE VICTIM CARD TO THE HILT, MAMATA HOPES TO WIN THE SYMPATHY VOTE OF THE STATE’S WOMEN, WHO CONSTITUTE 49 PER CENT OF THE ELECTORATE

T HE GAME IS ON, AND HOW. As Bengal inched towards the first phase of an assembly election that has implications not just for the state but for the entire country, all stakeholders brought out their heavy artillery.

In an indication of how big the Bengal prize is, the Bharatiya Janata Party had all its big guns descend upon the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the party’s star campaigner, slated to address more than 25 rallies over the poll period. Union home minister Amit Shah set up camp in the state, closely monitoring all aspects of the election, from candidate selection to booth management to holding more than 50 rallies. Other luminaries, such as Yogi Adityanath, criss-crossed the state, calling out  (those opposing the ‘Jai Shree Ram’ chant), while Union defence minister Rajnath Singh had everyone guessing on their chief ministerial