A day after the Lok Sabha election results were declared, showing a massive saffron surge in West Bengal, the power equilibrium is already seen to be shifting distinctly towards the BJP in the State.

Even as celebrations continued in the BJP camp, rumblings could be heard within the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she will take stock of the performance.

An unprecedented Modi wave saw the BJP win 18 seats in the State, registering its best ever performance. The BJP wrested seven of the eight north Bengal seats and 11 more in south Bengal. The TMC saw its seat tally come down to 22 in 2019, from 34 in 2014.

Post results, Mamata has maintained a low profile. She skipped her customary press conference and reportedly refused to meet senior leaders of her party. A tweet congratulating the winners and calling for a review of her party’s performance came barely five hours after the counting began. On Friday, she put out a poem title I do not agree .

Rumblings within TMC

According to party sources, a review meeting will take place on Saturday and all 22 winning MPs, the 20-odd losing candidates, grassroot-level leaders and other senior functionaries across different wings of the party have been invited.

“Polarisation on religious lines have happened and money power was used to sway voters. The Modi wave and an organisational shortfall within the TMC are also factors (leading to the loss),” observed Firhad Hakim, Bengal’s Urban Development Minister.

But the rumblings within the party are much stronger. A senior party functionary said he had raised objections to the “language” that was being used by the top leadership and other issues — like division of voters on religious lines — being taken too lightly. “The review meeting will see heads roll, and some being sidelined,” the leader pointed out.

Mukul Roy at work?

In what appears to be punitive action, the TMC suspended Subhranshu Roy, son on BJP leader Mukul Roy, for six years. While the party spokesperson cited “anti-party comments” as a reason, others claimed that it was Subhranshu’s failure to contain the BJP’s surge in parts of Barackpore. Barackpore became a prestige issue for Mamata after dissident leader Arjun Singh switched over to the BJP and won the seat, defeating Dinesh Trivedi. Mukul, a one time confidant of Mamata, was the architect of the switch.

“I am proud of my father. He has single-handedly destroyed the party (TMC) that he once nurtured. But my party (TMC) perhaps does not trust me. But I will talk to my father,” Subhranshu said, hinting that he is open to all options.

Meanwhile, the BJP stepped up its attack on the TMC. Party leaders claimed that “many disgruntled” TMC leaders are willing to switch over. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election rally here, had maintained that at least 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him.

The State BJP leadership is looking to up the ante on local issues like the alleged involvement of the ruling party leaders in ponzi scheme scams and “syndicates” (a loosely used term to denote extortion rackets). The BJP will organise a victory rally in Bengal that may be attended by party President Amit Shah.

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