New Delhi, February 23 – The ruling Trinamool Congress of West Bengal has intensified its political activities ahead of the state's upcoming Assembly elections, at a time when a multi-party contest for the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vote share seems inevitable.
This includes conferring the state's highest award on a BJP MP and considering keeping most MPs in their respective constituencies to spearhead regional election campaigns.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee awarded the "Bangabibhushan," West Bengal's highest civilian honour, to BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Ray.
Ray, who claims descent from the erstwhile rulers of Cooch Behar, is popularly known as Ananta Maharaj, for whom his supporters praise him for his contributions to the Rajbanshi community. The Rajbanshi, comprising over 18 per cent of West Bengal's Scheduled Caste population, is West Bengal's largest SC group.
The total population is estimated to be around half a crore, spread across the districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Malda, and Murshidabad, making them an important voting bloc.
Both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have been courting the Rajbanshis. The ruling party enjoys the support of one faction of a Rajbanshi organization that has been demanding a separate state, encompassing seven districts of North Bengal, in addition to three in Assam.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, this group of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples' Association (GCPA), led by Bangshibadan Barman, publicly supported the ruling party.
However, Barman did not let this support affect their demand for the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The community has repeatedly expressed concerns over "outsiders" occupying their land. Thus, the Rajbanshis initially supported the Election Commission's Special Intensive Review (SIR) of the electoral roll, hoping to remove alleged land grabbers.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP's Nisith Pramanik won from the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat, but in 2024, he lost it amid a fierce campaign that the Centre would implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). There was apprehension among the Rajbanshis that the law would provide legal status to many of those they sought to evict.
Riding the campaign, Trinamool candidate Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia defeated Pramanik in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. And in that election, of the seven Assembly segments that constitute the Coochbehar Parliamentary constituency, Trinamool led in four. Whereas in the 2021 Assembly election, the state's ruling party could manage to win just two of these seats.
Though Ray said it felt good to receive the honour, he refused to comment on the likely repercussions within the BJP. However, he is known to have been at odds with party leadership on certain issues. Mamata's move is seen as an effort to consolidate the Rajbanshi vote in the region.
Meanwhile, sources say that a large number of Trinamool MPs are likely to be involved in the election campaign, missing the second phase of Parliament's Budget Session.
This phase, beginning March 9, will continue until April 2, which is close to the probable poll schedule. This may involve only MPs with mass appeal and "crowd-catchers".
Also under consideration is the option to revive their attendance. However, it all depends on the final call taken by party Chairperson Mamata Banerjee in early March, a leader shared.
And if officially asked to lead a joint Opposition platform by then, she might even direct party MPs to share time between the centre and state so that they may spearhead protests in Parliament and organise workers back home for polls, “as and when needed”, added the leader.