Today PM Modi is attending the rally at the historic Brigade Parade Ground.
There are many successful stories woven around the Brigade Parade Ground rallies.
In 1988-89, VP Singh had resigned from Rajiv Gandhi government on the issue of Bofors deal. He won a famous bypoll from Allahabad as a Jan Morcha candidate.
This victory brought together iconic leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jyoti Basu, George Fernandes, Madhu Dandvate and other Left leaders on one stage a massive rally held at the Brigade Parade Ground.
A decade ago, Mamata Banerjee held a massive rally at the venue and was successful in pulling down the CPI-M rule in West Bengal.
However, she is today at crossroads as she has failed to bring Parbortan that she had promised a decade ago.
Today PM Modi is holding a massive rally at the Brigade Parade Ground where as many as 15 lakh people are going to attend.
So, the question is. Will Modi’s rally change the fortunes of West Bengal?
Going by historic events mentioned earlier, the Brigade Parade Ground meetings have helped opposition parties taste victories. So historically, it is advantage BJP.
Also looking at ground realities too, it is advantage BJP. The party is well placed with the joining of Mithun Chakravarty. There also are speculations that Sourav Ganguly may attend the rally.
Both are iconic figures and TMC will not have the courage to launch a tirade against them. If they do, they will be painted as anti-Bengal and anti-Bengali. Therefore, TMC is on the backfoot.
Moreover, BJP is gaining grounds with several TMC leaders joining the party. These leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of Mamata Banerjee.
The most important leader is the ex-TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari, who has joined the BJP and will take on Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram.
Suvendu is a very popular leader from Nandigram. In fact, he was the face of Nandigram protest, which helped Mamata Banerjee ride to power in 2011.
Didi is lonely today and it will be difficult for her to fight BJP.
Also, the majority Hindu voters are angry with Mamata Banerjee because of her tantrums at people chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and creating obstacles for performing Durga Pooja.
So, it is to be seen what impact PM Modi’s rally at Brigade Parade Ground will have on West Bengal voters, because huge rallies do not bring success.
One such instance was in 1955, when Nikita Krushchev’s participation at the Brigade Parade Ground failed to catapult communists to power..
So, time alone will tell what impact PM Modi’s rally will have on voters’ mind.
Jai Hind
