At a time when all parties are hoping garner Muslim votes in Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee might have outdone them all. Her address at Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind’s rally could emerge as a crucial strategy to milk the vote bank, which commands a significant 30 per cent vote share in Bengal.
With her Thursday’s address, Banerjee seems to have thrown her lot behind the minority vote bank, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims, over whom Jamiat has considerable hold. Banerjee, who shared the dais with number of Muslim clerics and academics, could only hope her message was loud and clear.
Analysts believe Mamata’s presence at the rally is mostly a show of strength before the 2016 Assembly polls. This could come across as a crucial step since a number of leaders from the Urdu-speaking Muslim community have expressed displeasure with the Trinamool Congress. Insiders pointed out that Mamata was looking for a suitable platform to address minorities, particularly Muslims. The need of the hour is to assuage their fears in a scenario where BJP’s presence is growing in the state.
Although the BJP’s progress was somewhat stalled in the wake of recent Bihar elections, fear of a fractured Muslim vote bank has haunted the Trinamool for some time. With the Left making desperate attempts at a comeback and a section of prominent Muslim clerics criticising her publicly, Mamata needed a way to resuscitate her presence among the Muslims.
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