The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday released the list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. Of the 294 seats, the TMC will field candidates in 291 constituencies while three seats in the Darjeeling Hills have been left to its ally, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha led by Anit Thapa.
With just over a month left for the Assembly elections, the list and announcement sparked interest among political watchers for it revealed the party’s changed strategy, leadership coordination and change.
The meeting began with Mamata Banerjee reading out the list. "Today is a special day for our organisation. Today, we have officially released the list of Trinamool Congress candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. I extend my best wishes and congratulations to all the nominated candidates," said the TMC supremo, before detailing the party’s strategy of giving special importance to marginalised sections of society, including SC-ST candidates.
But what caught everyone’s eye was how, reading out the first part herself, Mamata Banerjee handed over the remaining part to her nephew Abhishek Banerjee MP, which many are seeing as a symbol of the transfer of responsibility.
As per local media reports, Abhishek Banerjee’s imprints were clearly visible in the candidate list. Called the captain, Abhishek has given the “perform or perish” message to public representatives and organisational office bearers in several party meetings. This was clear in the candidate list when the party dropped 74 sitting MLAs, unprecedented in the history of Trinamool Congress. According to TMC sources, the decision was taken after judging the 'performance' of the last five years. Even though 15 of the current MLAs managed to retain their seats, the party sent them to contest in new constituencies this time so that they do not have to carry their old 'image'.
As per reports, the party has not only maintained the balance, giving both elderly and young candidates a chance, but has also carried out deep research before selecting the candidates. They sent senior leaders to every seat in the state and have prepared a detailed report on the work and image at the grassroots level.
Sources told local media that three names were submitted for each seat. Mamata and Abhishek have selected the names from among them.