AAP’S INROADS MAKING TIES WITH TMC FROSTY?

Sample this… In 2015, when Arvind Kejriwal visited Parliament for the first time after he stunned one and all and became Delhi Chief Minister, Mamata played the role of an elder sister and guided him around the iconic monument.

However, as I had said earlier, politics is a strange game… in the next few years, the two formidable leaders had started charting out different paths. Especially in July 2021, when Mamata visited Delhi after TMC’s resounding victory in the Bengal Assembly polls for the third consecutive time and defeating the Saffron might, she met a number of noted Opposition leaders, but the “non-meeting” with AAP boss created “more headlines.”

And from there on, as political grapevine has it… the ties between TMC and AAP have turned frosty, cold and “strained” if we may say so though it was never made public.

In September 2021, the ties between the two parties were destined to hit a “collision path” when both the parties decided to take a plunge in the Goa Assembly elections. Both parties had jumped into the fray and wanted to make their presence felt as a “National Opposition” following the gradual “relegation” of the Congress.

AAP managed to post victories on two seats in Goa, with Kejriwal terming it as the “beginning of honest politics in Goa”.

Meanwhile, despite a highdecibel campaign, a pre-poll alliance and the might of Prashant Kishor, TMC failed to create a flutter in Goa. TMC bagged no seats in the 40-member Assembly and managed a meagre vote share of 5.21 per cent.

However, recently on Friday, both the CMs “met” again, as Mamata was in Delhi to attend a joint conference of CMs and High Court Chief Justices, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Even as there was no official word on what had transpired between them, the meeting for obvious reasons generated political ripples as it was held ahead of the upcoming Presidential polls.

The meeting has also assumed major significance as barely a month ago, Mamata had written to all non-BJP CMs, including Kejriwal, on the need to ensure a united front against the BJP-ruled Centre’s alleged excesses.

However, in the past and even today with just two years to go for the crucial Lok Sabha elections, AAP has never shown its zeal for a joint effort by the Opposition forces to take on the might of the Saffron “collectively”.

Even as Mamata has been seen hobnobbing with KCR, Sharad Pawar… the notable absence of Kejriwal in all these meetings always surprised political analysts.

According to global political strategist and founder of the upcoming world’s first sociopolitical app, Sanyog, Dr Ayanjit Sen, “There is no doubt that AAP has emerged as the main Opposition party post the recent assembly elections, with inroads even in civic elections in Assam. But what must be seen is the way the other main contender, TMC, functions in the next few months and the strategies they implement. With Tripura and Goa not doing well for Mamata, the focus has nationally shifted to Kejriwal, who has played his cards very well to gain Punjab with a brilliant populist agenda. This strategy will take the AAP boss quite a distance in some states but he has to also understand that the same political strategy will not work in other states. However, he is targeting West Bengal as well and accordingly building that national look for AAP.”

It will be interesting to see how things shape up even as AAP has expressed its willingness to contest the panchayat polls in West Bengal in 2023 and has also begun a membership drive in the state. With the Congress’ gradual slide and the extreme infighting in the BJP in Bengal, it may not be difficult to predict that AAP can garner some support for itself.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL