The Trinamool Congress’s latest ambition to metamorphose into a national party, to lead a united opposition alliance sans the Congress party and to challenge the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the latest spree of forging alliances with smaller parties and prominent leaders of different political parties across different states, all align with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s renewed ambition to stake claim to the prime minister’s post.
The ground work for the daunting task begun with TMC trying to expand its base outside West Bengal. While the TMC has entered the political fray in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Meghalaya and Tripura, the regional party is sure growing an appetite for southern states, particularly Karnataka.
A hush-hush visit of political strategist Prashant Kishor, Mamata’s pointsman for the party’s expansion plans, to Bengaluru last week has aroused political curiosity in the state that goes to the assembly polls in May 2023. Speculations are rife over Kishor having met prominent leaders of both the national parties.
Kishor chose to stay put at a star hotel close to the Vidhana Soudha and was hoping to meet some prominent leaders belonging to the powerful Lingayat community, besides senior Congress leaders who are feeling slighted in the party.
Former minister and KPCC working president M.B. Patil, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and MLC Govindaraju are rumoured to have met Kishor. Patil has vehemently denied having met the TMC envoy and Siddaramaiah’s aides claimed there was no such meeting.
“The report is absolutely baseless and fictitious. There is no iota of truth in this,” tweeted Patil.
“If M.B. Patil was on the lookout for greener pastures, he would have jumped to the BJP before the 2018 elections. He is a party loyalist. He was out of Bengaluru, in Vijayapura to campaign for his brother who is contesting the MLC elections last week,” contended Patil’s close aides.
The Siddaramaiah camp laughed at the prospect of their leader holding discussions with Kishor. “Siddaramaiah is a prominent leader of the Congress, the CLP leader and stands a good chance of being at the helm of affairs (second stint as the CM) if the Congress comes to power in 2023,” said Siddaramaiah’s aide.
While all the state leaders are tight lipped about their meeting with Kishor, senior Congress leaders have been claiming that they have “information” about Kishor holding talks with their party leaders. In fact, the TMC, which is hoping to set up an office in the city, is trying to rope in a senior Congressman, who is a popular face and frequently spotted on the national TV channels.
Interestingly, Kishor’s visit to the state capital has triggered strong rumours about the regional party trying to lure disgruntled leaders in the BJP, too. Sources also claim that Kishor held talks with some Lingayat seers and also former chief minister B.S Yediyurappa and his son B.Y. Vijayendra, the state BJP vice-president. However, the claim was rubbished by Vijayendra as “absolutely false”.
"I wonder from where all this false news is originating," he told THE WEEK.
Despite the rumour mills working overtime and the political leaders vehemently denying the “secret” meetings, one cannot dismiss the fact that TMC, in its expansion mode, is trying to reach out to the weak links within the national parties. Unlike the Aam Aadmi Party that has been inducting new faces, TMC is betting on an instant fix - of luring seasoned politicians into its fold.
In Karnataka, if TMC is hoping to import its leaders from the politically astute and numerically strong Lingayat community to fast-track building its base in the state, it cannot be termed as totally imprudent. After all, the Lingayat community holds sway across 100 assembly constituencies. Last July, when Yediyurappa, the tallest Lingayat leader, stepped down as the chief minister, the BJP high command was compelled to anoint another Lingayat leader as his successor fearing a backlash from the community, especially the Lingayat seers who were rallying behind Yediyurappa.
Yediyurappa is feeling sidelined within the party, especially after Home Minsiter Amit Shah announced that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai would lead the party in the 2023 polls. Also, Yediyurappa’s own record of having quit the BJP to float a new party (KJP) in 2012, which dented the BJP’s poll prospect (the ruling party was reduced to 40 seats in 2013) might qualify him as a prized catch for political parties fishing in troubled waters. However, BJP insiders feel that the 79-year-old veteran is no longer the impulsive leader he used to be and he would take a pragmatic call as it concerns the future of his two sons, who are both in significant posts in the BJP.
Similarly, senior Congress leader from North Karnataka region Patil, who was the face of the Lingayat Movement (demanding minority religion tag) ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, has been aspiring to be the political successor to Yediyurappa. But he remains overshadowed by bigwigs like KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar (Vokkaliga) and Siddaramaiah (Kuruba leader and undisputed leader of the AHINDA - minorities, backward classes and dalits) in Karnataka.
For now, the TMC, which has little presence outside West Bengal, sure seems to have a long shopping list. But it remains to be seen if it can crack the cryptic caste equation in Karnataka that flaunts a progressive and cosmopolitan facade, but boils down to just caste math each elections. Even the longest surviving regional party in state – Janata Dal Secular - has had to be content with playing the kingmaker for decades and enjoying two short stints in power.
