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TMC fails to make electoral headway in Meghalaya, Tripura
Mamata Banerjee, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee as well as other star campaigners such as Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra campaigned in Meghalaya and Tripura
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) failed to make much electoral headway in either Meghalaya or Tripura, where the party sought to make inroads as part of its expansion plans.
The party contested 56 of the 60 seats in Meghalaya but managed to win just three. It was leading on two other seats. In Tripura, it contested 28 of the 60 seats but failed to win any.
Voting in Tripura was held on February 16, and in Meghalaya and Nagaland on February 27.
Mamata Banerjee, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee as well as other star campaigners such as Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra campaigned in Meghalaya and Tripura.
In 2018, TMC contested eight seats in Meghalaya. It secured just 0.35% of the votes without winning any seats.
Former chief minister and Congress leader Mukul Sangma joined the TMC along with 11 other lawmakers, making it the biggest opposition party overnight.
H Srikanth, a political science professor at Shillong’s North Eastern Hill University, said Sangma’s defection affected both him and the party. He added his base and that of the Congress were the same. “The votes got divided and it did not benefit TMC or Congress.”
TMC was able to get 13.73% of the total votes this time. The outsider tag could have been among the factors that hurt TMC in Meghalaya. Parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Peoples’ Party (NPP) highlighted this.
Meghalaya chief minister and NPP president Conrad Sangma said during the West Bengal polls, TMC targeted BJP as outsiders. “If they can label a national party as outsiders, by that same logic TMC is also an outsider in Meghalaya.”
Srikanth said it appears the outsider tag impacted TMC negatively. “The party did not get support in Khasi and Jaintia Hills regions and also in Garo Hills, where Mukul Sangma has his base.”
In Tripura, six Congress lawmakers joined TMC in 2016. But the association was brief. In 2017, the six switched sides to the BJP.
This time, TMC promised to create 200,000 jobs and provide cash to unemployed youths. The party contested 24 seats in 2018 and got 0.30% votes without winning a seat. In 2023, it contested four more seats and was able to only increase its vote state to 0.88%.
Tripura University professor Salim Shah said TMC was not a factor in Tripura. “The party does not have an organisation, leadership, or any definite programme for the state.”
