Close to Mamata, Krishna hopes to win hands down

KOLKATA: Trinamool’s Krishna Chakraborty, contesting the October 3 Bidhannagar civic polls from Ward 29 of Salt Lake, has many things working for her, the biggest trump card being her proximity to party chief Mamata Banerjee.
That is a confidence booster and Chakraborty needs it badly, given that her party is riven by bitter faction feuds. The internecine fights among various Trinamool leaders see no sign of stemming despite Mamata’s stricture against it.
Chakraborty was the chairperson of the last municipal board in Bidhannagar. Dismissing that anti-incumbency might work against her, she said, “We have brought back peace to Salt Lake. We have made Salt Lake safe. Look at the holistic development in Salt Lake and you will know why I am confident of our party’s hands-down win,” she said. Yet, Chakraborty is not leaving anything to chance. Hers is one the bigger wards in Salt Lake, covering about a dozen blocks with 9,907 voters. “I tried to cover the entire ward through a door-to-door campaign. The response is heartening,” she said.
On the last day of campaigning, she left home around 8.30am on Thursday for the last big push, the mega roadshow. The cavalcade through Ward 29 comprised at least a dozen autos, almost as many rickshaws and cars, with Chakraborty standing in an open vehicle, surrounded by supporters. Invoking Mamata, she said, “You rest your faith and confidence in me once. You made me the first citizen of Salt Lake. Let’s do it again. I’ll be with you whenever you need me.”
As it wound its way through the streets, the procession set off a snarl in its wake, with office-goers and students stuck on the road. But few residents of the “elite” township came out for a dekko. But that’s Salt Lake, reminded a Trinamool supporter.
This was the ward in which BJP led the count during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Anindya Sinha Roy, canvassing for Chakraborty, however, claimed there was nothing to worry about. “People vote differently for Lok Sabha and civic polls. In civic polls, local problems, such as drinking water, lights, roads and safety, gain prominence. I must say we have scored well in addressing all these issues,” he said. Team Chakraborty also seemed confident of attracting about 1,500-odd non-Bengali voters, with the contender reaching out to various communities in small groups over breakfast or evening teas.
Residents, however, had a mixed response: Ignorance to indifference to threadbare analysis. Just outside CK block, across the road from Chakraborty’s home in CJ block, a resident pointed to a group of domestic help queuing up to collect water from a dilapidated metal contraption. “Sad, isn’t it in elite Salt Lake?” he said.
A retired central government employee at AL block, however, praised Chakraborty’s board for helping assuage the “acute water shortage”. He is a veteran of many polls he had conducted as an election official. “If free and fair polling is allowed, the result may throw up a surprise. Don’t forget, CPM’s Saswati Mondal is a good candidate,” he said. His praise for Mondal echoed in many voices in Chakraborty’s turf. But Trinamool leaders dismissed her chance, pointing at “34 years of Left misrule”.
Plus, Trinamool being the ruling party, Chakraborty seems to have a definite edge over her rivals. And, Mamata’s blessings apparently help her edge out rivals within.