No room for 'Hinduvta' politics: TMC leads in 132 out of 144 KMC wards
KOLKATA: BJP's 'Hindutva' card didn't click with the voters in Bengal during the recently-concluded Assembly polls.
An analysis of the results of 11 Assembly constituencies in Kolkata reveal that Trinamool Congress (TMC) is way ahead of BJP in various wards under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Trinamool is ahead of BJP in 132 out of 144 KMC wards, while the saffron party took leads in only 12 wards.
During the last Lok Sabha polls, BJP was ahead of TMC in 53 wards. Out of 84 wards in South Kolkata and added areas, BJP is ahead of TMC only in three wards while out of 60 in North Kolkata, BJP is ahead of TMC only in nine.
Poll analysis reveals that TMC lost only in two wards in Bhowanipore, one in Rashbehari, five in Jorasanko, two in Shyampukur and one each in Manicktala and Chowringhee. In the added areas comprising Behala, Jadavpur, Kasba and Tollygunge, Trinamool is ahead of BJP in all the wards. Trinamool had trailed behind BJP in ward 73 in 2019, where the house of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is situated. But the ruling party regained its lost ground and took the lead in the 2021 Assembly election from the ward. Except two wards in Bhowanipore, namely, wards 70 and 74, TMC took a lead in all the wards. However, in Jorasanko, TMC is behind BJP in five wards, namely, 22, 23, 25, 27 and 42. These wards are situated in and around Burrabazar.
The results of the polls have also busted the myth that non-Bengali voters cast their franchise in favour of the saffron party. TMC also performed well in areas, which are dominated by non-Bengali voters.
In areas surrounding Burrabazar, Posta, portions of Shyampukur, Jorasanko, Kashipur — Belgachia and Bhowanipore, Trinamool did well. A senior BJP leader said as several traders were hit by the note ban and GST, small and medium traders did not vote for BJP.
A senior TMC leader said in Bhowanipore and Jorasanko areas, the poll percentage dropped significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The BJP voters did not turn up while TMC, because of its organisational strength, ensured that its supporters cast their votes.
