2021 Five State Elections

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 28 Mar 2021 01:07

^^^^^^^

the little faker says that he will leave "this space"

does kishore mean twitter or politics.

this is one slippery and slimy joker

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 28 Mar 2021 08:57

And so it begins...

Nearly 80 per cent voter turnout in first phase of Bengal polls, 10 arrested for violence - PTI via TNIE

MIDNAPORE/KOLKATA: Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from various places that went to polls on Saturday during the first phase of the West Bengal assembly election, even as the overall poll situation was largely peaceful with 79.79 per cent turnout recorded till 5 pm, an official said.

Voting was held in 30 seats - several of them part of the once-Naxal-hit Jangalmahal region -- amid tight security and strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, the Election Commission (EC) official said.

In some booths, voters were provided with masks, sanitiser and polythene gloves.

Of the 30 seats that went to polls, nine are in Purulia, four each in Bankura and Jhargram, six in Paschim Medinipur, and seven in high-stakes Purba Medinipur district.

"Till 5 pm, 79.79 per cent polling has been recorded in the state. By and large, elections were held peacefully," the EC official said.

Purba Medinipur recorded the highest turnout at 82.51 per cent, followed by Jhargram at 80.56, Paschim Medinipur at 80.12 per cent, Bankura at 79.90 per cent and Purulia at 77.07 per cent.

<snip>

Read the remaining detailed report at the link. Apparently, this turnout is lower by 3% compared to last time.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 28 Mar 2021 09:06

One thing that strikes me as interesting during this poll cycle is the relative lack of violence directed at the BJP. I’m sure people will find an article or three , but in relative terms it is much less than in past elections including GE 2019, with people hyperventilating about the importance of Modi sarkar to do something.

Violence is a contrarian indicator . Poll violence does not foreshadow defeat for the incumbent. It means the incumbent felt firmly entrenched and so does the abetting police force. The lack of violence is what heralds potential defeat because it means the ruling regime has lost the street muscle that is fundamental to power.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 28 Mar 2021 09:10

Also, Assam too had it's first phase yesterday.

West Bengal records over 82 percent voter turnout; Assam over 77 percent in 1st phase of assembly polls - News on AIR

West Bengal has recorded more than 82 percent voter turnout and Assam registered over 77 percent polling in the first phase of assembly elections.

The voting was held in forty-seven constituencies across twelve districts of Assam and for 30 constituencies across 5 districts in West Bengal.

The Election Commission has said, the first phase of Assembly Elections in the two states was conducted successfully yesterday across 21 thousand 825 Polling Stations spread over 77 Assembly Constituencies.

In Assam, the fate of 264 candidates has been sealed in the first of the three-phase elections. Among the prominent candidates in this phase include, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal from Majuli, State Congress President Ripun Bora from Gohpur and Asom Gana Parishad President Atul Bora from Boka khat.

<snip>

Here's a more detailed ground report about the process itself, given Covid.

Covid-19 safety protocols maintained in polling stations; Assam voters happy - PTI via TNIE

Besides, voters were happy with arrangements to take care of children while their mothers voted, and ferry people with disabilities to polling stations.

GUWAHATI: The fear of COVID looms large and Assam's voters stepped out of their homes with caution to exercise their franchise and they seemed satisfied with the facilities to check the spread of the virus in polling stations in the first of the three-phased election in 47 of the 126 assembly constituencies.

Besides, voters were happy with arrangements to take care of children while their mothers voted, and ferry people with disabilities to polling stations.

<snip>

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 28 Mar 2021 09:13

Suraj wrote:One thing that strikes me as interesting during this poll cycle is the relative lack of violence directed at the BJP. I’m sure people will find an article or three , but in relative terms it is much less than in past elections including GE 2019, with people hyperventilating about the importance of Modi sarkar to do something.

Violence is a contrarian indicator . Poll violence does not foreshadow defeat for the incumbent. It means the incumbent felt firmly entrenched and so does the abetting police force. The lack of violence is what heralds potential defeat because it means the ruling regime has lost the street muscle that is fundamental to power.

The 8 phases also make a difference. Heard from a few sources on the ground that the central security forces have completely blanketed the region with extensive checking and bandobast.

P.S. I found it interesting that WB requires an 8-phase election, while Assam needs only 3. Shows the level of problems in the former.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 28 Mar 2021 09:20

BJP will lose onlee.

Mukesh.Kumar · Post by **Mukesh.Kumar** » 28 Mar 2021 12:03

Chatter from junior chaiwala levels in WB is that Dilip Ghosh is next CM. Didi is on her way out. Maybe I pick up what I want to hear but things aren't looking great for Didi.

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 28 Mar 2021 19:12

Suraj wrote:One thing that strikes me as interesting during this poll cycle is the relative lack of violence directed at the BJP. I’m sure people will find an article or three , but in relative terms it is much less than in past elections including GE 2019, with people hyperventilating about the importance of Modi sarkar to do something.

Violence is a contrarian indicator . Poll violence does not foreshadow defeat for the incumbent. It means the incumbent felt firmly entrenched and so does the abetting police force. The lack of violence is what heralds potential defeat because it means the ruling regime has lost the street muscle that is fundamental to power.

There was some violence. In Purba Medinipur dist. someone hurled country made bombs outside a polling station, in the same district there was firing which seriously injured 2 security personnel . In dakshin Kanthi TMC created ruckus because of a EVM malfunction and attacked BJP cadres . Yes, by WB's notorious standards there was less violence , hopefully in next phases the security will be further tightened to completely stop TMC's shenanigans .

darshan · Post by **darshan** » 28 Mar 2021 19:15

That genocidal monster is anything but didi. Use begum, bano, maal, etc. There are plenty of mughal words for her.

Santosh · Post by **Santosh** » 28 Mar 2021 19:23

A crude bomb also went off inside a TMC party office one day before elections. Begum is doing what she does best - create darr ka mahaul. But she has met her match. This is a real tribute to BJP and Sangh kks who have persisted even in this environment of terror. 3 or 4 workers were killed in just last 4 days.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 28 Mar 2021 19:48

mumtaz bano is beginning to feel the heat.

her bravado is evaporating fast and the aam abduls have seen through the wheel chair ploy.

didn't she and her supporters spend the remaining 5-6 years in collecting cut money and doing syndicate business

Huge:- “During my tenure, 1 year was wasted because of #Covid , there were 2 Loksabha Elections, 2 Vidhansabha Elections and 2 panchayat elections... so I got only 4-5 years to work” . From “I have done everything” to “I got only 4-5 years”, she conceded.

via@KrishanuKar14

WATCH VIDEO

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 28 Mar 2021 19:50

So far, the Phase-1 has passed off peacefully. The amount of violence is nothing compared to what it used to be earlier. Hopefully the central forces will make the remaining seven phases take place smoothly. TMC bunch is very frustrated, and hence they are trying a create a ruckus and paint a bleak picture on this election. Extremely crucial will be sealing the Indo-Bangla border in the next phases.

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 28 Mar 2021 23:50

Here is a suggestion - if the country wants to honor a courageous, an unbiased, a true secular journalist then look further than Sri Shafiqul Islam of Arambagh TV. In my honest opinion - he genuinely deserved a PadmaSree. (Please convey this message collectively to the country's highest office.)

This gentleman has been harassed, intimidated to no end by the TMC's goons for exposing Mumtaaz Banoo's perfidity, how TMC has been stoking communal sentiments through minority appeasement, and how the corrupt police has been collecting 'hafta' on behalf of the TMC party. He was heckled many times, police raided his house at night, arrested him as well as his wife, leaving their two young children behind without any supervision (later Shafiqul's brither took the children's custody) .... and eventually they were released once a petition was filed at the Kolkata HC.

He has been a thorn on Mumtaaz Banoo's (and all pseudo-seculars') side.

Sri Shafiqul Islam has received thousands and thousands and thousands of congratulatory notes - mostly from the majority community (99.9999%), and interestingly, the minority community has literally made him an outcast. His youtube videos are all in Bengali, but if one knows the language then it is a must watch.

One sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlRcdq5Ls5U

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 29 Mar 2021 01:05

Kati wrote:Here is a suggestion - if the country wants to honor a courageous, an unbiased, a true secular journalist then look further than Sri Shafiqul Islam of Arambagh TV. In my honest opinion - he genuinely deserved a PadmaSree. (Please convey this message collectively to the country's highest office.)

This gentleman has been harassed, intimidated to no end by the TMC's goons for exposing Mumtaaz Banoo's perfidity, how TMC has been stoking communal sentiments through minority appeasement, and how the corrupt police has been collecting 'hafta' on behalf of the TMC party. He was heckled many times, police raided his house at night, arrested him as well as his wife, leaving their two young children behind without any supervision (later Shafiqul's brither took the children's custody) .... and eventually they were released once a petition was filed at the Kolkata HC.

He has been a thorn on Mumtaaz Banoo's (and all pseudo-seculars') side.

Sri Shafiqul Islam has received thousands and thousands and thousands of congratulatory notes - mostly from the majority community (99.9999%), and interestingly, the minority community has literally made him an outcast. His youtube videos are all in Bengali, but if one knows the language then it is a must watch.

One sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlRcdq5Ls5U

How to turn on captions? Is it possible for Bengali folks to add caption to this video or create new video with caption?

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 03:06

VijayK Saar,
I'm tech blind, and hence don't know about how to turn on / insert subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRWnwfElTG0

This is one episode where Sri Shafiqul Islam is exposing drame-queen Mumtaaz banoo's dramabaazi. Telling the audience that she got hurt in her right foot, but plaster is on her left foot.

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 03:08

In this episode Sri Shariqul Islam is giving an earful to Mumtaaz Banoo for uttering raw words ("gaali") to AS and other BJP leaders. He is saying that -
"We Bengalis should hang our heads in shame for such uncivilized language to address others".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DKSJTzm97k

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 03:12

In this episode Sri Shafiqul Islam is exposing the TMC candidate from Debra constituency - ex-IPS officer Mr. Humayun Kabir, = how he made crores of rupees by buying land cheap from poor farmers, and then selling them at a huge profit. (At Debra, Humayun Kabir's opponent is BJP candidate Ms. Bharati Ghosh - another ex-IPS officer).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDD-MpoJ8LM

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 03:17

In this episode, Sri Shafiqul Islam is giving an earful to TMV candidate Manas Bhunya for using foul language to refer to previous CM's of bengal, and telling the crowd that no one did as much as Mamata Banerjee did....... To this Mr. Shafiqul Islam is saying that the foul language is part of the (TMC) party culture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db4f8o3LpN8

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 03:21

In this episode Sri Shafiqul Islam is exposing Mumtaaz Banoo's (pseudo)-secular credential, and favoring the muslim community in the name of secularism.
The episode starts with a clip where Mumtaaz Banoo is reciting a Kalmaa from Koran and then asking the audience to bless her by voting for her.

First, Sri Shafiqul Islam clarifies that the recitation was wrong, and there by Mumtaaz Banoo may have hurt the feelings of the true muslims. He gives the correct stanza. Then Sri Islam gives an earful on how could then "Jai Sri Ram" is wrong is Kalmaa recitation is okay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-FG52Dmy2o

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 03:24

Smt. Alimaa Khatun, wife of Sri Shafiqul Islam, describing the harrassment and torture the family had to endure in the hands of WB police let loose on them by the ruling TMC government.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVZEnXp47s0

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 03:27

Sri Shafiqul Islam is giving a voice to "probashi" bongs (Bengalis settled outside Bengal) for expressing their despair about the pathetic situation in Bengal under the TMC government.

The theme - "We are ashamed because of the given the current state of the affairs in West Bengal."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7vczlvrhis

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 29 Mar 2021 08:30

How this rumour of her getting married to a momo started? I am hearing it for some time, but the first time I am reading that he was a lawyer. Is there any basis for this?

OmkarC · Post by **OmkarC** » 29 Mar 2021 10:06

https://twitter.com/swapan55/status/1376117395954167812

26/30 according to Swapan Da..

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 11:35

OmkarC wrote:https://twitter.com/swapan55/status/1376117395954167812

26/30 according to Swapan Da..

Still now, it is a conjecture, and this has been claimed by AS as well as SA (Shubhendu Adhikari). But given the massive rallies launched by BJP using all the big guns, this result is quite plausible. I'll be cautiously optimistic.

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 11:40

Yagnasri wrote:How this rumour of her getting married to a momo started? I am hearing it for some time, but the first time I am reading that he was a lawyer. Is there any basis for this?

In Indian politics, there are many personal things which are open secret, and pretty much local people know these. However, media keeps a studied silence on such matters.
Mumtaaz Banoo's personal matter is well-known. In fact, in Taratola area even taxi-drivers / auto-drivers would show the red-brick house belonging to that lawyer gent. Asked a few people in higher govt chain of command, including some in SIB, and they verified it verbally. Again, this is word of mouth.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 29 Mar 2021 11:53

Kati wrote:
OmkarC wrote:https://twitter.com/swapan55/status/1376117395954167812

26/30 according to Swapan Da..
Still now, it is a conjecture, and this has been claimed by AS as well as SA (Shubhendu Adhikari). But given the massive rallies launched by BJP using all the big guns, this result is quite plausible. I'll be cautiously optimistic.

there is nothing else they can say.

they need to sound confident to keeps their troops rallied through the next coming phases as also to try and demoralize their opponents.

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 29 Mar 2021 14:52

BJP worker’s 85-yr-old mother, allegedly assaulted by TMC workers, dies
Akhilesh Singh | TNN | Mar 29, 2021, 13:16 IST

NEW DELHI: Eighty-five-year-old mother of

BJP worker —- Shova Majumdar — who had been allegedly assaulted by TMC workers in North Dumdum area recently, passed away on Monday, triggering angry reactions from the BJP top leaders including home minister

Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda with Shah saying that "pain & wounds of her family" will haunt Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for long. “Anguished over the demise of Bengal’s daughter Shova Majumdar ji, who was brutally beaten by TMC goons. The pain & wounds of her family will haunt Mamata didi for long. Bengal will fight for a violence-free tomorrow, Bengal will fight for a safer state for our sisters & mothers,” Shah tweeted soon after news of death of the octogenarian lady was reported.

Shova, who was in the headlines in the first week of March after brutally assaulted by alleged TMC workers, died on Monday morning. According to reports, Shova and her son, Gopal Majumdar, were assaulted in the North Dumdum area, which fell under Nimtha police station jurisdiction.

There was a nationwide outrage over the incident as the National Commission for Women took suo moto cognisance of it. The BJP leaders had empathised with the family and circulated pictures of a bruised face on social media countering Mamata Banerjee’s bid to stoke “Daughter of Bengal” sentiments.

Condoling the death of Shova, Nadda tweeted "May God comfort the soul of Nimta's aged mother Shova Mazumdar ji. Due to her son, Gopal Majumdar, being a BJP activist, she had to pay with her life. Her sacrifice will be remembered forever. She was also mother of Bengal, daughter of Bengal. The BJP always fights for security of mothers and daughters."[..]

Primus · Post by **Primus** » 29 Mar 2021 21:21

I know very little about local state politics, esp WB, but I can see this is the big one to watch, as crucial as UP was in 2017. If the BJP comes to power here and a truly Yogi type CM is appointed, the state could once again become the intellectual, spiritual and cultural leader it used to be once upon a time.

What is the status of Mithun? He came across a few days ago on various channels as 'the one to topple the Queen'. Loud boasts or is there any substance? If the BJP wins, how likely is he to be the CM? Somehow I doubt he is capable of anything other than getting a few votes based on his charm and history. I may be completely wrong here of course, would love to hear from experts like Kati Ji.

Primus · Post by **Primus** » 29 Mar 2021 21:24

Kati wrote:
In Indian politics, there are many personal things which are open secret, and pretty much local people know these. However, media keeps a studied silence on such matters.

Isn't that true!

Nobody for example really knows the true marital status of Barking Mutt. If you google, it turns up that she was married twice to Kashmiri muslims, but who knows what the truth is. And she is only a media pimp, not even a high ranking politician.

Apart from insinuations from MO Mathai, nobody knows anything about Bandit Ji's many 'adventures'.

V_Raman · Post by **V_Raman** » 29 Mar 2021 21:39

India is very much like non-anglo Europe - personal things dont usually occupy public space like it does in USA/UK.

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 22:55

Primus wrote:I know very little about local state politics, esp WB, but I can see this is the big one to watch, as crucial as UP was in 2017. If the BJP comes to power here and a truly Yogi type CM is appointed, the state could once again become the intellectual, spiritual and cultural leader it used to be once upon a time.

What is the status of Mithun? He came across a few days ago on various channels as 'the one to topple the Queen'. Loud boasts or is there any substance? If the BJP wins, how likely is he to be the CM? Somehow I doubt he is capable of anything other than getting a few votes based on his charm and history. I may be completely wrong here of course, would love to hear from experts like Kati Ji.

India's political landscape will change drastically the day BJP comes to power in West Bengal, and I'm hoping that it is going to happen this time.

1. Managing our eastern flank and curbing our eastern jihadi menace will be easier once BJP comes to power in WB. Right now, both Tripura and Assam have been taken care of. Meghalaya has been managed. Only WB was out of sync.

2. Our look east and act east policies will get a tremendous boost once the entire eastern India comes under the BJP/NDA fold.

3. More importantly, many other truant opposition parties will fall in line once WB capitulates to BLP/NDA. The entire third front will be severely demoralized. The aftershocks will be felt as far as in Kashmir to Kerala. We need to choke the money supply to the pseudo-secularists from WB. I'm hoping that the Left will be badly mauled in this election with the rise of the jihadi outfit ISF launched by Abbas Siddiqi. But it will further consolidate the Hindu vote.

4. Mahaguru Mithun Chakraborty still has some appeal in WB, but not that much in the below 30 yr crowd. However, he still has an aura of "Bengali Pride" around him. He has zero experience in running an administration (BJP knows that), but he has his own compulsions. Rumors are saying that he felt the need to join BJP as there is police cases against his son (rape???). But he is genuine, and he doesn't want to get mired in any controversy. The moment there was a whiff of him taking Sarada chit fund money (consultation fee which he probably accepted without knowing full details), he immediately wrote a fat cheque and handed it over to CBI/ED to get out of that mess. After that he kind of put himself in political s'annyas'. Long ago he was very close to CPM as he has a genuine feeling for the poor - his roots in Notrth Kolkata slum, which he never forgets.

5. So who will be the CM face if BJP comes to power in WB? This is a big intrigue, and has some plus as well as minus as millions keep guessing.
The suave well articulated intellectuals do not have much mass base (think of Tathagata Roy (ex-BJP state prez and Tripura+Meghalaya guv)). The street fighters like Rahul Sinha and Dilip Ghosh are very very tough (though they don't see eye to eye to each other) street fighters, and made the BJP rise in rural areas through a brutal fight. But they are very loose canons and often make uncouth remarks causing much headache to the central leadership. So I won't be surprised if the central leadership chooses a lady (who have some natural political immunity as many criticisms can be cast as anti-women). One person could have been very apt in this regard - that is Ms. Rupa Ganguly (Mahabharat's Draupadi-fame). She is polished, suave, highly intellectual, has good contacts with the entire entertainment industry, and above all she is fluent in all three languages - Bengali, Hindi and English. She has the ears of the central leadership. But she has been shifted to the national level as she fell out of favor with Sri Dilip Ghosh. The next in line is Smt. Locket Chatterjee - another actor turned politician. The good thing is that Smt. Locket has proved herself as a tough street fighter - she is very dear to the central leadership after she won her MP seat through a brutal battle which was once a red citadel, and then became a TMP pocket-borough. Irrespective of the CM face, the deputy CM will be (at least one of two possible) will be Shuvendu Adhikari who has had wrecked TMC from inside, and caused so much defection. He himself may be the reason behind BJP's 20 winning seats in the entire Phase-1 and Phase-2.

Let us see how things churn in the next four weeks before the judgement day on May 2nd.

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 29 Mar 2021 22:58

After Mahaguru Mithun joined BJP, bong youtube channels are getting flooded with videos on his younger brother who converted to Islam many years ago, and is now a big mullah in Bangladesh with a huge fanatic fundamentalist followers. I guess this is the handiwork of TMC elements.

Theeran · Post by **Theeran** » 29 Mar 2021 23:12

Suraj wrote:Violence is a contrarian indicator . Poll violence does not foreshadow defeat for the incumbent. It means the incumbent felt firmly entrenched and so does the abetting police force. The lack of violence is what heralds potential defeat because it means the ruling regime has lost the street muscle that is fundamental to power.

Applying this to TN, the violence is by DMK in this cycle. Would that indicate a dmk win?

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 29 Mar 2021 23:36

I don't know about that. The original empirical observation applies to the incumbent that has been in power for quite some time, and has control over the police and other organs of state power. This was the case in WB which has had prolonged rule by a single party that dominates levers of power. In such a case, the existence of violence doesn't suggest immediate danger as much as the absence of it.

TN is whole other story, and the politics are not the same - neither *DMK entities have exclusive control and violence doesn't appear to suggest anything in particular. It could be that in this case violence by DMK suggests desperation, but I am not a particularly qualified TN watcher.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 30 Mar 2021 00:12

Kati wrote:
Primus wrote: Irrespective of the CM face, the deputy CM will be (at least one of two possible) will be Shuvendu Adhikari who has had wrecked TMC from inside, and caused so much defection. He himself may be the reason behind BJP's 20 winning seats in the entire Phase-1 and Phase-2.

Let us see how things churn in the next four weeks before the judgement day on May 2nd.

only 20 for BJP in Phase 1 and Phase 2? How many total seats in these 2 phases?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 30 Mar 2021 00:20

Kati wrote:After Mahaguru Mithun joined BJP, bong youtube channels are getting flooded with videos on his younger brother who converted to Islam many years ago, and is now a big mullah in Bangladesh with a huge fanatic fundamentalist followers. I guess this is the handiwork of TMC elements.

wiki says his brother died long ago in an accident.

I will check tomorrow with a friend whose family members grew up with mithun.
=============

Meanwhile, I am predicting a comfortable majority to BJP, it would be closer to 175 than 150 IMHO. However, they need to understand that a large chunk of the votes they will get this time would be a vote against TMC rather than a vote for BJP.

I would not call a BJP win a foregone conclusion yet, but it is close. The signs were clear even as the results of the 2019 GE were coming out, with BJP bagging 18/42. This is an eerie echo of the TMC's rise to power, where they got 19/42 in 2009 GE, before clearing out the left in 2011 AE. Both these times the win would be about a credible challenger showing up to the hated ruling party than about the virtues of the challenger itself.
But BJP has to avoid the mistakes made by the previous two ruling parties. In the left created party-society model (which TMC continued), the society & govt. machinery became an extension of the party and leveraging them was an easy short-cut method to win elections; the hard way being actually doing development for the people etc. The downside of the shortcut is that the aam janta gets seriously miffed with the lack of progress in their lives and the moment a credible challenger appears on the scene, as happened in 2011 or is happening now, they lose & lose big !

WB BJP has to resist taking the short-cut, because the govt. machinery has developed a pavlovian response to power over a generation & would be only too willing to become another pet of the ruling party. Once that happens, it breaks the social contract b/w a political party & its voters and there's no coming back for it. For TMC, this happened with the 2018 panchayat elections and that single factor started a train of events that brings them to eventual loss of power.

Conversely, to avoid taking the easy short-cut way,WB BJP has to be willing to slog the hard hours & actually work for the people. The minimum essentials are
a> strict rule of law sans political interference
b> rapid clean-up of govt dept. especially the highly politically motivated riff-raff that have been employed over past few years
c> reviving business environment in the state by completely doing away with political interference in businesses

Good leadership is essential to achieving all these. Unfortunately WB BJP does not have a YA.
Of the CM candidates Dilip Ghosh clearly leads the pack. I would be surprised if he isn't made CM.
The only reason he was not announced as such is because BJP feels that MB as CM is not a net plus for the TMC & BJP does not lose anything by not announcing a CM candidate.
DG seems to have seen the writing on the wall & has worked on his skills since 2019 & is a much imporoved orator nowadays. He has lost the hindi accent in his bangla which could have posed problems with his acceptability as a CM. His administrative skills however are unknown. He would need to be helmed by capable lieutenants. Even more than DG perhaps, Shuvendu Adhikari is a shoo-in as Dy CM. Who else ?
Is there a role for Tathagata Roy ?
To sustain this win BJP needs to find good talent in WB and fast !

Vips · Post by **Vips** » 30 Mar 2021 00:21

vijayk wrote:
Kati wrote:
only 20 for BJP in Phase 1 and Phase 2? How many total seats in these 2 phases?

All the seats where BJP won/fared better during the Lok Sabha elections in WB in 2019 have elections in the first 5 Phases. The last 3 phases are in areas where the TMC is strong.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 30 Mar 2021 00:25

Vips wrote:
vijayk wrote:
only 20 for BJP in Phase 1 and Phase 2? How many total seats in these 2 phases?
All the seats where BJP won/fared better during the Lok Sabha elections in WB in 2019 have elections in the first 5 Phases. The last 3 phases are in areas where the TMC is strong.

South Bengal, where TMC is supposed to be strong is also most affected by amphan & the post disaster corruption by TMC panchayat members. TMC will see considerable dent in voteshare in this region, everyone is looking for alternatives there. Hindus will vote BJP, muslims will vote ISF.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 30 Mar 2021 03:24

Number of seats in each phase: 30, 30, 31,44,45,43, 36, and 35
Respectively per each phase.
Total 296.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 30 Mar 2021 03:54