Kolkata: Turning the final day of campaigning in Falta into a political show of strength, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari Tuesday held a high-voltage roadshow in the constituency in South 24 Parganas district, mixing attacks on the TMC with welfare promises and fresh political messaging ahead of the May 21 repoll.
In a twin political outreach ahead of the repoll, the CM promised jobs for one family member of each BJP worker allegedly killed in post-poll violence after the 2021 Assembly elections and announced a special package for the constituency in the next state budget.
Beginning his programme with ‘puja’ and ‘arati’ at a temple amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram”, Adhikari later boarded an open-hood vehicle and led a roadshow in support of BJP candidate Debanshu Panda.
BJP flags lined roads and rooftops across stretches of the constituency while supporters showered flowers and raised slogans as the procession passed through different areas.
The roadshow, however, soon acquired a sharper political edge after TMC candidate Jahangir Khan announced his withdrawal from the May 21 repoll, triggering ripples in the constituency that falls within the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Launching a direct attack on Khan, Adhikari sought to puncture the TMC candidate’s carefully cultivated “Pushpa” image.
“Where is self-styled Pushpa? He had no other way, as he won’t get a polling agent, so he decided to run away,” Adhikari said.
The remark carried political subtext as Khan had consciously borrowed from the swagger of the blockbuster film character “Pushpa” and repeatedly built a combative political persona around the line “Pushpa jhukega nahi” (Pushpa never bends).
At another point during the campaign, Adhikari appeared to mock the sudden turn of events.
“Jhuk gaya… bolchhe sore gelo (He bent… now he says he has stepped aside). Pushpa had said ‘jhukega nahi’; now he says I am leaving. They are nowhere to be seen,” the BJP leader said in an apparent dig at the TMC leadership.
Addressing supporters, Adhikari claimed people in Falta were experiencing a sense of political liberation after what he described as years of intimidation.
“What I am witnessing today is people’s happiness. It feels like a second Independence Day. Voters will get back their voting rights after 10 years and will finally be able to cast their votes freely and fairly,” he said.
Adhikari claimed that the atmosphere in Falta resembled a festival.
“All nationalists are on the roads. Everyone is happy as if a festival is going on. I don’t think that after 2011, there were free and fair elections here, and from 2016, people were not allowed to vote freely in Falta. But this time they will cast their vote,” he claimed.
The TMC had come to power in West Bengal for the first time in 2011, trouncing the CPI(M)-led Left Front that ruled the state for 34 years.
In a major political announcement, Adhikari said, “Several of our workers across districts were brutally murdered after the 2021 polls. The government will ensure one member from each of these families gets a suitable government job,” he said.
The announcement assumes significance as the BJP has repeatedly accused the previous TMC government of unleashing violence against opposition workers following elections.
Adhikari also promised rehabilitation measures for BJP workers who, according to him, had faced attacks, false cases or displacement.
“All false cases against BJP workers will be fought legally, and justice will be ensured. No one will be spared. There will be ‘sabka saath, sabka vishwas’ and also ‘sabka hisab’,” he said.
Seeking to blend electoral messaging with development promises, Adhikari announced that Falta would receive a “special package” in the next state budget.
The BJP has projected the Falta repoll as politically symbolic, particularly because the constituency falls in Diamond Harbour, represented by Abhishek Banerjee, the de facto number 2 in the TMC hierarchy.
Notably, no major campaign was undertaken in the constituency by TMC candidate Khan or senior party leaders, including former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, during the campaign period since May 4.
The Falta repoll is scheduled May 21 amid heightened political activity and elaborate security arrangements.
Orissa POST – Odisha’s No.1 English Daily