March 07 (TSP Bangla) – The BJP has said it does not want President’s rule in Bengal and is confident that the Assembly elections in the state will be held on schedule. Party leaders believe that any intervention by the Centre could allow chief minister Mamata Banerjee to portray herself as a victim ahead of the polls.
“I am sure that there will be no such situation as President’s rule. The party is very confident of winning this election,” said a senior BJP leader.
The recent appointment of R. N. Ravi as the governor of West Bengal had triggered speculation in political circles that the BJP might be considering the imposition of President’s rule before the elections. Ravi replaced C. V. Ananda Bose.
Some observers interpreted the move as the Centre bringing in a “strong” administrator to the Raj Bhavan at a politically sensitive time. The speculation has also been linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. With several cases related to the process still pending adjudication, questions have been raised in political circles about whether the exercise will be completed before the polls are announced.
“If there is President’s rule or some kind of interim central intervention before the elections, it would help Mamata play the victim card, which the party is not ready to hand over, and that is why we don’t want such a situation to come,” a top BJP leader said.
A source in the BJP said the narrative around the possibility of President’s rule was being floated by the Trinamool Congress as part of its political strategy. According to the source, the ruling party in the state was trying to link the appointment of the new governor to such speculation.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on her social media handle that she was “shocked and deeply concerned” by the news of C. V. Ananda Bose resigning as governor. She also referred to Union home minister Amit Shah informing her that R. N. Ravi would be the new occupant of Raj Bhavan.
On Friday, Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy wrote on social media: “State Governments must be involved in the appointment of the governor with the formation of panels, recommended by Sarkaria Commission. Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations recommended Governor must be appointed after consultation with the State concerned. Who listens ?”
Abhishek Banerjee on Friday questioned the resignation of C. V. Ananda Bose barely a month before the Assembly elections.
Sources in the BJP said the party was more focused on urging the Election Commission of India to conduct the polls in the fewest possible phases. The party plans to raise the issue during its scheduled meeting with the commission on March 9.
Gyanesh Kumar is expected to visit the state between March 8 and 10.
However, a section of BJP leaders believes the possibility of President’s rule cannot be entirely ruled out. The concern comes as both the Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have begun demanding that elections should not be held until the cases of around 60 lakh voters, which are pending adjudication, are resolved.
“Although the top party leaders do not want such a situation, the move by Congress and the CPM demanding clearance of 60 lakh voters from the ‘under-adjudication’ category is a threat. If it is not completed before the election, then what will happen?” asked a BJP leader in Calcutta.
However, another BJP leader disagreed with the concern, saying that around 7 lakh such cases had already been cleared and there was still time to resolve the remaining ones before the filing of nominations. “We hope the process will be completed and the elections will take place on time, ensuring the BJP comes to power,” the leader said.
Sources in the BJP also said the party did not believe that the dharna called by chief minister Mamata Banerjee would have much impact. According to them, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue was not strong enough to help her gain an electoral advantage.
Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar mocked Mamata’s dharna and said: “The chief minister was rehearsing her role as an Opposition leader as the BJP will come to power in Bengal”.
“If you see, the SIR was not an issue in Bihar. Mamata Banerjee often dismisses the politics adopted by Rahul Gandhi. Interestingly, in the case of SIR, she has adopted a similar line as Rahul Gandhi, and it will not yield any result,” said a senior BJP leader.
Sources in the Trinamool Congress, however, claimed that the BJP was trying to downplay the agitation around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as it realised the issue was gaining traction. According to them, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had strengthened her political position by both moving the Supreme Court of India and taking the protest to the streets of Calcutta. They said the move had helped her build a narrative that the SIR process was aimed at removing the names of Bengali voters from the electoral rolls.
Experts have also pointed out that there is a constitutional provision under which a chief minister could be asked to continue as a chief adviser while the state remains under Presidential supervision.
“There are two options in President’s rule. Either it would be outright President’s rule led by the Bengal governor or it could be Mamata Banerjee as chief advisor to the governor under Presidential supervision,” said political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty.
