MAMATA NOW EYES DELHI
On September 26, at a streetcorner meeting before the Bhabanipur bypoll, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee proclaimed: “Bhabanipur theke arekta khela shuru hobe. E khela shesh hobe Bharatbarsha joy kore (A new ‘khela’ (game) has begun in Bhabanipur; it will end only when India has been won).” The TMC (Trinamool Congress) chief has lately been hammering home the message that her party won’t rest on its laurels; after the triumph in the Bengal assembly election, its sights are now set on Delhi. At the same meeting, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said it even more baldly: “Remember, you are not just voting for Didi; you are voting for change in Delhi.”
There are two simultaneous campaigns in play here: the first is to build a loose-knit Opposition coalition to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election; the second is to pitch Mamata Banerjee as the leader of that grouping. Over the past month or so, TMC heavyweights have sought to encourage discussion on who is best placed
