West Bengal polls: TMC works on counter-plan with caution to stop ISF

TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray alleged that the party suspects that Abbas Siddiqui is being propped by the BJP

As the Congress and the newly floated Indian Secular Front (ISF) broke the ice over seat-sharing for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is gearing up with a counter-attack but with caution.

The TMC could suffer two major blows due to the rise of Muslim cleric Abbas Siddiqui, a senior TMC strategist told The Indian Express.

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“... If Siddiqui wins support especially in areas where the Furfura Sharif has influence, it will take away minority support from the TMC. Second, for the TMC, it is not a bad thing for the Left to wrest back the Hindu votes it had lost to the BJP (in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls). But his alliance could make them stay with the BJP,” a senior TMC leader said.

“The tightrope is that as and when the elections come closer, how not to fall into the counter polarisation trap if Siddiqui becomes increasingly important,” another party leader was quoted as saying.

The entry of the ISF led by Abbas Siddiqui, who became the first religious leader in West Bengal to take the political plunge, has upturned several political equations.

The TMC feels the ISF's entry into Bengal's poll arena will further deepen the divide and help the BJP by eating into the ruling party's Muslim vote base.

"The ISF may not win seats but will widen the communal divide further. It could cause harm to the TMC by cutting into our Muslim votes and further pushing the Hindus towards the BJP," a senior leader of the Mamata Banerjee camp has earlier told PTI.

Siddiqui, however, said he has entered politics to fight for the rights of the minorities and backward communities, a cause which the mainstream political parties have neglected so far.

'Siddiqui a fundamentalist'

TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray has a different take on Siddiqui's influence.

He claimed that Siddiqui is clearly a fundamentalist and that alliance with him could have a negative impact on the Left and the Congress.

“You only need to see videos of his speeches... Siddiqui is a fundamentalist and that is clear from his speeches. This affects the Left and the Congress too. They are playing with fire. In areas of their influence, such as Murshidabad and Malda, this could have negative impacts as well,” the MP told the publication.

Ray also alleged that the TMC suspects that Siddiqui is being propped by the BJP.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma had landed in a controversy after he criticised his own party over the Congress' tie-up with ISF, saying it was against the "Gandhian and Nehruvian secularism" and the party cannot be selective in fighting the "communalists".

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Congress, ISF talks still underway for some constituencies

ISF had initially demanded 15 seats from Congress, but the party had agreed to give only five to it. However, during the fresh talks, the grand old party agreed to give eight seats in all but the Abbas Siddiqui-led party is demanding two-three more constituencies.

The final list is scheduled to be announced on March 7 and 8 and a large number of young CPI(M) leaders will find a place in it, a leader of the party said.

Elections in Bengal, poised to be a stiff contest between the TMC and the BJP, will be held in eight phases, beginning with polling for 30 seats on March 27. Votes will be counted on May 2.

(With PTI inputs)