BJP attacks CEC in despair

The BJP State President, Shamik Bhattacharya, has slammed the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar. We really don’t know whether it’s a thought-through strategic decision or a mere expression of frustration. In either case, the timing is very important. We are now at the final stage of the enumeration form submission and digitization. In West Bengal, the TMC is evidently ahead in the SIR process of Election Commission. When the seemingly calm and gentle politician Shamik Bhattacharya of BJP attacks CEC, it reverberates through the political landscape. Perhaps Mamata Banerjee is smiling in silence.

If Shamik Bhattacharya wants to treat the attack on the Election Commission to be a counter strategy of TMC’s relentless abuse on the EC, that’s entirely a different ballgame. But the fact of life remains BJP attacks CEC.

Even then, the timing comes under the spotlight. Such a delayed reaction may fail to cast the desired impact. Moreover, such a sudden change of stance may confuse even the BJP cadres and supporters.

Everyone knows, the election commission will certainly not shift its entire office to Kolkata as per his demand. Even the TMC also knows that. Still, it may spread a slight confusion among the TMC strategists. For years, firing at the Election Commission seemed like TMC’s exclusive domain. If the BJP suddenly joins the chorus, it will certainly disrupt TMC’s carefully crafted rhythm.

Inorganic Growth of BJP in West Bengal

To enlighten readers about the other side of the story, we must revisit the history. The BJP first entered into the political horizon of West Bengal in 1998 under the TMC’s wing. They had a phenomenal growth is 2017, when the bagged off 19 constituencies in General Election.

But we must analyze the background. When the CPM in West Bengal failed to protect and support their grassroot level workers from the disastrous attack of TMC hooligans, they opted for BJP just for survival. That translates to the fact that the growth of BJP was inorganic in nature.

However, in his euphoria, the overwhelmed BJP took it a foundation stone to conquer West Bengal. Modi and Amit Shah have echoed several times “Agli Bar dosho par” in several political campaigns. But they had to remain satisfied with 77 seats. Who knows it better than the old BJP leader Shamik Bhattacharya?

Mukul Roy, then-BJP leader has repeatedly tried to raise the importance of booth level organizational structure. But it remained unheard. Perhaps, Mukul Roy, the master strategist behind TMC’s booth-level network, had already smelled trouble at that time. Alas! Drunk on the dream of capturing the state, the BJP ignored his warning. The result became fatal.

In contrast, Suvendu Adhikari, the true architect of the grassroots network, delivered a stunning victory. He toppled the so-called unbeatable superstar, Mamata Banerjee.

Perhaps BJP thought that the 2026 assembly election will become a cakewalk for them on the backdrop of SIR. Now, BJP attacks CEC in despair.

Why BJP attacks CEC?

With the time, BJP has been able to form a strong base mainly in North Bengal. So, if we observe closely, they have been constantly doing well both in Assembly and General Elections in that region. During the Special intensive Revision (SIR), they could appoint the Booth Level Agents (BLA) in those areas. And with that, TMC’s intimidation and show of power nearly evaporated.

On the contrary, look at the South Bengal and proper Kolkata. The failure of BJP in appointing adequate BLAs, has made it a one-sided game for TMC. The bullying and bravado almost have become vibrant in south Bengal. They are not only creating illegal pressure on the BLOs, but also force them to retain the names of deceased and permanent migrated voters.

So that they could rig votes by casting ballots for these pseudo voters, the mastermind behind the stellar victory of TMC and Mamata Banerjee. So, in desperation BJP attacks CEC.

The only way to counter this politics of threats is to create a parallel resistance network.

The BJP still hasn’t managed to build it.  A veteran politician like Shamik Bhattacharya, knows it even better. He is also aware that fighting against Mamata Banerjee means a real battle with the pyramidal structure. The cunning TMC has beautifully crafted strategy. On one hand, they should publicly abuses on the election commission. On the other, they will build up paramount pressure of the Booth Level Officers (BLO). So, if the BJP fails to move beyond the tears of this initial defeat, a comeback seems to be a very tough challenge.

Mamata Banerjee and her stakeholders

The cunning politician Mamata Banerjee heralded a new era. She built a pyramidal structure of unholy nexus. The Obsequious Bureaucrats, police, civil administration, BDOs – everyone is a stakeholder of that. So, everyone knows that they can spend the life lavishly by driving Fortuna car or booking multiple flats in posh areas of Calcutta, if they remain Subservient. Consequently, the thwart of Mamata Banerjee directly affects their lifestyles.

When BJP has failed to develop a solid booth level organization, how can they expect a victory in such a one-sided game?

Let’s call a spade as a spade. As yet, BJP is not in a position to conquer West Bengal with its own capacity.

The only real glimpse of hope may come from a plebiscitary chant like “Mamata Bhagao.”