Straws in the wind in Bengal portend a close finish. Despite several TMC leaders making a beeline to join the BJP, it has clearly started yielding diminishing returns. With the first phase of polling slated for Saturday and four days of campaigning left for this phase, BJP looks frayed and in a bit of a disarray in the state. Internal dissension and resentment at ticket distribution have taken a toll. But with a long-drawn polling schedule, it is possible for the party to recover and put up a fight.
But what had seemed to be an advantage for the BJP is now turning out to be a major challenge. Hordes of ex TMC leaders had to be accommodated by giving them tickets to fight the elections, disappointing old BJP cadres. This disappointment has spilled over into street fights among their own party workers, who feel they have been let down by the leadership. The turmoil has come as a surprise as it fancies itself as a party of disciplined cadres.
But though the TMC appears to enjoy an edge at this moment, the going is hardly going to be easy for Mamata Banerjee. The party has managed to declare a manifesto promising to generate 500,000 jobs in a year. It has also managed to field candidates without much hiccup unlike the BJP. But the anti-incumbency against Mamata Banerjee is also fairly strong on the ground.
