Trinamool Congress’s national ambitions vs its regional constraints

Had the Bharatiya Janata Party shared its choice of presidential candidate before making an announcement, there could have been a unanimous nominee by total consensus, Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress chief said on Friday.

Banerjee’s comment is a marked change from TMC’s usual defiant stand against the BJP—the ruling party of West Bengal is always in opposition of any proposal made by the BJP, which rules at the Centre. Similarly, the BJP refuses to give in to the TMC-led government’s wishes in West Bengal.

This is evident from the consistent stand-off that has existed on several occasions between the BJP-ruled Centre, and the third-time-in-power TMC in West Bengal.

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Theoretically, the idea of having a candidate by consensus “in the greater interest” might have been explored before the two sides announced their presidential candidates—however, neither the parties in Opposition, nor the ruling BJP felt its need.

Practically, however, it’s not possible for the Left parties—that cooperated with the other parties in Opposition to agree on a common candidate—to similarly agree on a candidate proposed by the BJP.

While a united Opposition, in the form of a joint candidate, was exhibited against the ruling BJP—with some regional players having stayed away—there have been several political developments with possible detrimental ramifications.

Since the announcement of the Opposition’s Presidential candidate, the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government imploded. This political development in Maharashtra might have definitely left the Opposition disturbed.

While the TMC spearheaded the cause of a united Opposition on the national front, there are issues of immediate concern in the eastern region. In the recent Tripura by-elections, TMC failed to perform despite its best efforts.

Even for West Bengal, the TMC’s position is precarious as the party has been consistently complaining that the Centre has held back the money needed to fund rural jobs. As state Chief Minister, Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a delegation of TMC MPs had met the Union Minister of Rural Development to air their grievances.

Lack of funds could disturb execution of schemes. With the panchayat elections in the state due in 2023, any impact on rural schemes—jobs, housing, roads—could affect either party adversely.

From a broader perspective, TMC’s political efforts seem to have gotten distributed between politics within home turf and that outside the state.

While Banerjee continues to play a ‘fighter’ politician, her readiness for a singular Presidential candidate is more an acceptance of an emergent political reality, than any hint of any political softening. When it comes to assessing the TMC’s overall political ambition, the regional politics cannot be separated.