E-Paper
Defections in Tripura hurt TMC’s expansion plans
The defections came as TMC managed to secure just 2.86% of the total vote share in the assembly by-polls in June
Defections from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Tripura have dealt a blow to the attempts of West Bengal’s ruling party to make inroads into the state even as it has sought to project itself as an alternative to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) ahead of the 2023 assembly.
Baptu Chakraborty, a top functionary who left TMC and joined Congress along with his supporters, said Trinamool was only putting up an act of opposing the BJP while it was actually its B-team.
The defections came as TMC managed to secure just 2.86% of the total vote share in the assembly by-polls in June. The BJP won three of the four seats and Congress one.
TMC’s Tripura in-charge Rajib Banerjee denied claims that many of their party workers have joined the Congress and added Chakraborty left over his personal reasons. He said the claim of TMC’s being the BJP’s B-team was an excuse. Banerjee said they were in touch with many of the defectors over the possibility of bringing them back.
The TMC has formed committees including those related to women and scheduled castes in the state. The party’s youth wing plans a campaign from August 29 against unemployment and price hike of essential commodities.
TMC tried to expand its base in Tripura first in the late 1990s before it emerged as the main opponent of the erstwhile Left Front government with the defection of six Congress legislators in 2016.
A year later, the six switched over to the BJP and two of them are now in Congress. The TMC got 0.30% votes in the 2018 assembly polls, which rose to 16.39% in civic polls last year.
Congress leader Szarita Laitphlang said Congress is the lone party that can give a tough fight to the BJP in the 2023 polls.
BJP leader Nabendu Bhattacharya said TMC has tried several times to make its presence felt in Tripura. “We do not think they could have any political relevance. We are confident of winning the assembly polls for the second time.”
Writer S Bhattacharya said the arrests of TMC leaders in West Bengal could further hit the party’s prospects. “...the party has no acceptance among within the opposition camp...”
