West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, under attack from the BJP over recent incident of Sandeshkhali, is all set to address a massive rally in Kolkata’ Brigade Ground. The rally, where thousands of people gathered in support of the TMC, is also a show of strength by the fiery leader. During the rally, Banerjee is also likely to announce TMC’s first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This is the first time the party is declaring it list of candidates during a public meeting and the move can be perceived as Banerjee’s open challenge to the BJP and Congress.
The central focus of the rally is around the claimed retention of the state’s financial dues by the central government, a contentious matter that has been an important issue in state politics over the last two years.
TMC’s First List Today
According to the Trinamool Congress, CM Banerjee will declare the party’s nominees for all 42 parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal. Visuals from the Brigade Ground showed a massive crowd at the rally where Abhishek Banerjee was also present. The TMC has already made it clear that it won’t form an alliance with the Congress or CPI, leaving the INDIA bloc’s Bengal aspirations in a lurch.
One Of A Kind Rally
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee announced the rally named ‘Jana Garjan Sabha,’ from his ‘X’ handle. This is a one of a kind gathering featuring three platforms, including a cross ramp, making it viable for the speakers to reach closer to the public, while walking on the ramp. Mamata and Abhishek are among the primary speakers for the TMC.
Politics Over Years At Brigade Parade Ground
This marks the party’s inaugural large-scale gathering at the ground since the opposition meeting in January 2019, where leaders from 19 opposition parties were gathered united in a show of solidarity. Despite the TMC’s grassroots organisation, its seat count decreased from 34 to 22 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while the BJP performed strongly, securing 18 seats in the state.
Since the 2021 assembly polls, the ruling party in the state has witnessed eight MLAs and two MPs switching sides to join the TMC.