Elections of 2019 are approaching and political parties have started playing their hands. In the present political atmosphere of country, there are two women that possess the highest bankability and it is them who will most likely be a challenge to BJP’s election campaign that has long since lost its nitros of Modi wave.
Mamata Banerjee owns Bengal and after senior leaders of the party defecting to BJP, the ground hold of TMC has weakened but it is still the biggest party in the state. With the Congress and left parties having lost all chances of revival, it is clear that the battle in Bengal will be fought only between Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress.
Move towards west from Bengal and cross Bihar, you’ll land in Uttar Pradesh. The state that literally owns the parliament and where, in 2014, got BJP 71 out of 80 seats. In Uttar Pradesh, there is a new political player that many see as a trump card of Congress and others call it a last move before final loss. Priyanka Gandhi has actively entered the politics and now holds the responsibility of Uttar Pradesh East.
Both Priyanka Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee have been seen as wise political leaders and in the case of Priyanka Gandhi, this speculation becomes even more crucial given that she hasn’t been involved in direct politics yet. It is welcoming that Indian political playground has recognised the importance of two female politicians and now, it becomes an interesting watch to see how these women fight against the party that has achieved a near perfect state in terms of campaigning and publicity.
Mamata Banerjee is a leader of the people in West Bengal and her humble background makes her an ideal candidate to go against Mr Modi. The flak that BJP has received due to its Citizenship Amendment Bill and then Amit Shah’s scuzzy pitch of the bill has definitely made sure that the Muslim votes in the state will go with TMC. BJP’s only shot at increasing its score in the state is to garner the maximum anti-Mamata votes that are possible.
Despite the negative publicity that Mamata receives from most of the digital media, being called an autocratic and ignorant ruler, the reality is that she has easily managed to hold on to West Bengal since last two elections and she must be preparing for even a larger percentage share in 2019 than 39.15% of 2014. After BJP being denied its Rath Yatra in Bengal and Supreme Court ruling in favour of West Bengal Police in the recent CBI – Kolkata Police fiasco, cards have turned in favour of Mamata.
In Uttar Pradesh, INC won just two out of the sixty six seats it contested on, namely, Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli. The downfall of INC in 2014 was such that it hit rock bottom and now the only way ahead of them is of improvement and they have now relied upon Jyotiraditya Scindia in west and Priyanka Gandhi in east. Priyanka Gandhi has always been a face of hope for benefactors of the Congress Party who see her as a natural successor of Indira Gandhi.
She is considered wiser than her brother and has proved herself to be an efficient campaign manager for her family candidates’ constituencies. While there’s still a doubt regarding her candidacy for upcoming elections, her recent acts are already being hailed as intelligent moves including the time when she accompanied Robert Vadra to ED and also when she chose not to sit next to her brother in an INC meeting. But there’s a catch in Uttar Pradesh.
With SP-BSP alliance already on the table, any rise in vote share of congress might also lead to loss in potential SP-BSP voters and thus, giving an indirect advantage to BJP. Despite all of these calculations, BJP is surely to receive a downfall in its numbers in the state as it already peaked in 2014.
While both Mamata and Priyanka will strongly be battling in 2019, it’ll be interesting to see if they succeed in getting a favourable mandate. Both these women come from different backgrounds, one far more privileged than the other and one far more experienced than the other but this is the essence of a true democracy where leaders from all background have a voice and are in for a respectable fight.
It is disheartening to see BJP, a party that claims to be the largest part in the world, to resort to disgusting remarks and slanderous comments against these two women. You must oppose but you shall not ridicule for that lowers the discourse of the whole system.