The collapse of an under construction flyover, killing nearly two dozen people in Kolkata, barely four days ahead of the first phase polls on April 4, has added to the trouble of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in this election season.

Things are going a little tough for her from the beginning.

She didn’t expect Congress and Left to forge a historic alliance to put up a united opposition and prevent splitting votes. But, it happened. Keeping age old rivalries aside, the two sides are taking part in joint rallies across the State.

The Election Commission that had a trying time in preventing rigging in West Bengal’s highly hostile and violent political environment in 2014 Parliamentary election; is exceptionally tough this year.

Though officially they described this year’s Assembly election as six-phase poll; in reality, the 294 constituencies are divided in seven phases (from April 4 to May 5), up from six phase in 2011 and five in 2006.

The special attention to the State will be clear if you compare this with Assembly election in Tamil Nadu where 234 constituencies will be polled on a single day.

Unlike in the past when polling progressed from one end of the State to the other, for operational ease; this year’s schedule is erratic, so much so that Kolkata will go to polls in three phases! This is to ensure unprecedented security measures that will ensure minimum movement of political hooligans.

That’s not all. The EC has already transferred over three dozen police officers and bureaucrats who were considered ‘close’ to the ruling party.

Such measures were enough to draw ire of Banerjee, but what madder her angry, if not anxious, was Mathew Samuel’s “Narada News” sting operation where over two dozen cabinet ministers, party MPs, MLA’s and top leaders were videotaped to have either taking money for promised favour or getting into deals. Many or most of them are fighting this election.

A furious Banerjee and her nephew as well as party national president, Abhishek Banerjee, are now taking oath in every public meeting to take “remedial measures” against the opposition once they come back to power.

“Inchite, Inchite bujhe nebo” (will respond inch by inch) or “bujhe nebo koto dhane koto chal” (will see how many paddy make how many rice) have become her common phrase for last couple of weeks.

To add a fresh twist to the controversy BJP recently accused two under cover policemen to have tried to bribe the former State president Rahul Sinha. Ironically enough they wanted Sinha’s favour in cross-border cattle smuggling.

To survive the series of adversities, Banerjee is now asking voters to vote for her not for the candidate. The future will tell if she is successful in doing so. But so far, there is no reason to predict her loss in this election.

The Congress-Left combine made a delayed entry in the election scene. Moreover both suffer from serious organisational lacking in the Trinamool bastion of South Bengal that constitutes 218 votes.

This coupled with Trinamool’s definite achievements in creating public infrastructure over the last five years and huge spends in various subsidies; make the party a favourite. Trinamool won 184 seats in alliance with Congress in the last election.

Left-Congress combine is expected to do particularly better in 76 North Bengal seats, where Trinamool lacks organisational strength. Together they got 107 seats in 2011 (Congress 42, Left 65). Bengal has to wait till May 19 to know to what extent the alliance make an impact this election.

Their performance will also depend on the extent BJP is able to retain its 17 per cent vote share in 2014 general election. Sharper the slide in BJP vote share higher the prospect for Congress-Left alliance.

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