BeyondHeadlines Special Correspondent
Kolkata: Finally, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) has shown the world’s longest reigning democratically elected Communist government in West Bengal its way out. A demure battle hardened woman, Mamata Banerjee has achieved her life’s biggest goal – unseating the Left Front from Writers’ Building in Kolkata.
With a slogan as connected to the roots as “Maa Mati Manush (Mother, Soil, People)”, Banerjee now appears all set to become the first non-Left chief minister of West Bengal since the Marxists took power in 1977 and kept winning election after election.
As per the trends which are now available for 273 seats out of the total 294 seats, the Trinamool Congress led alliance is ahead in 191 seats while the CPM – led Left is on a winning trajectory only in 70 seats, the BJP is also ahead in 1 seat while others are doing well in 12 seats.
South Kolkata’s Harish Chatterjee Street, which houses Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s residence, wore a festive look as hundreds of supporters thronged it in anticipation of a historic rout of West Bengal’s ruling Left Front.
Security was beefed up in and around the house, a tiled single-storey structure in a narrow lane close to the Kalighat temple. Police put up barricades and kept a watch on visitors, who included an army of mediapersons from across India and even abroad.
Every nook and corner of the locality has been decorated with giant cardboard cutouts of the party chief and the party’s election symbol.
The street has been decorated with green-coloured lights. Green is regarded as the colour of Trinamool, while red represents the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
Several TV sets and chairs have been arranged near Banerjee’s house to accommodate the increasing rush of party supporters.
A control room has been opened in the house where senior party leaders, including Mukul Roy and Derek O’Brien, are monitoring the results on television sets.
Banerjee has been watching the proceedings from her room in the house and surely would be pleased to realise that her bete noire Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is also trailing.
