Mamata Banerjee’s meeting at Ranaghat today, to reclaim lost ground

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will address a public meeting at Ranaghat on Monday. The Lok Sabha constituency in Nadia district was won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Banerjee’s meeting so many months ahead of the Assembly elections is being seen as an attempt to reclaim the party’s lost ground in this region.

In 2019, BJP’s Jagannath Sarkar had won the seat with a whopping 53 per cent vote, gaining 35.73 per cent. The Trinamool Congress on the other hand got 37.05 per cent votes, losing its earlier votes by 6.58 per cent. Many feel that for the Trinamool Congress, there is a good chance of reclaiming the lost ground by pushing some important issues. Ranaghat – comprising the Assembly seats Nabadwip, Santipur, Ranaghat Uttar Paschim, Krishnagunj, Ranaghat Uttar Purba, Ranaghat Dakshin, Chakdah. The Lok Sabha seat was won by the Trinamool Congress in both 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

About 40 per cent of voters in the Ranaghat constituency are Matuas, and they are considered to have been the deciding factor for the BJP’s win in the last Lok Sabha polls. Over the past few years, the BJP has broken into Banerjee’s support base among the Matuas, and now her moves are being deemed as calculated steps to win back those votes.

In the past few months, Matua leaders including party MP Shantanu Thakur have expressed anguish for the CAA not being implemented urgently. Banerjee’s position on the CAA is very clear though. She has reiterated that there is no need for another stamp of citizenship on those who are already citizens. She has said that the CAA is misleading.

The Matuas have been a deciding factor in the state for past elections, even during the Left Front regime. Banerjee had the support of the Matuas in 2011, and then subsequently in 2014 Lok Sabha polls and 2016 Assembly elections, but things turned complex in 2019 over the citizenship issue. Banerjee is aware of how important this issue is and her meeting today would be significant especially in that perspective.