Team Congress-Mamata can be a formidable electoral threat to NDA

The latest political indications are that the Congress and Trinamool Congress, which had no formal alliance in West Bengal during the last Lok Sabha elections, are likely to come together. The rift was widened following the anti-Mamata Banerjee rhetoric of the then state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, who, incidentally, was thrashed in his backyard, Behrampur, by political novice and TMC candidate Yusuf Pathan. The Congress high command has almost indicated that Chowdhury is now an ‘ex-chief’ of WBPCC. In all likelihood, someone who is relatively softer on Mamata, or at least not as harsh as Chowdhury, would be entrusted the responsibility so as to maintain a good working relationship with the ruling party. The new political equations are not without reasons from either side. The Congress leadership has realised that it is extremely difficult to take on Mamata and her organisational strength even jointly with CPI-M. The party had to pay a heavy price for allying with the fast eroding Left Brigade, the tall claims of Chowdhury and his team, notwithstanding. While both Congress and CPI-M's vote banks are on the wane, three-time Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's popularity and acceptability are something they have to reckon with.

It has also been established beyond doubt that Mamata is one of the fiercest and vocal anti Modi-Shah voices in the country. The rise and the growing acceptability of Abhishek Banerjee as a seasoned politician in the state and at the national level, cannot be kept aside either. If Rahul Gandhi's party has to come to power - either within the current tenure of the Modi 3.0 government or after the end of its tenure, it will have to take TMC's support, this way or that way. There is no room for doubt on that front. It would make more sense for the Congress leadership to initially ride piggyback on Mamata's party, than to get wiped out of Bengal by joining hands with others. From the TMC's perspectives also, bonhomie with Team Rahul would make sense on several counts, especially after the way Rahul Gandhi and his party staged a comeback in the last general elections. Lest one forgets, the TMC, despite its spectacular show in the Lok Sabha elections, witnessed an erosion of its vote bank in urban pockets.

An understanding - active or tacit- with the resurgent Congress may help Mamata's party cover up for the depletion. Look at the way, several TMC MPs are appreciating and referring to the scholastic genius of former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the brilliance of P. Chidambaram and Rahul's tenacity and capability to stage a comeback. So much so that TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee minced no word in saying that the process of a Congress revival and the fall of BJP is irreversible and INDIA partners will have to stay united before the crucial Assembly elections in Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra in order to ensure an early exit of the Modi government at the Centre. Sonia Gandhi and Abhishek Banerjee are on the same page on this. There is no doubt whatsoever that if Congress and TMC come closer before the crucial State Assembly polls, Bengal and national politics will take a new turn and twist, and for the better.