Mamata’s poll strategy

MAMATA Banerjee is gearing up for the parliamentary polls with increased emphasis on Tollywood. Moon Moon Sen is not exactly in today’s tinsel town but she is still supposed to represent glamour. She is not daunted by the heat and dust of Bankura. She has not come from Alaska, she said. Heroic words! But of course she will be decked up in tangalis and chiffons. The aam aadmi wants it and she has to deliver.  But she is not carrying cosmetics. Enough sleep and proper diet will preserve her skin to make the constituency forget that she is 64 years old. She is not the only one on the scene. Sandhya Ray, a veteran who once made a splash with her role in ‘Ganga’, running down the embankment and remaining close to maa, mati will also join the fray. Above all, young Deb who has been on an African safari in a recent film will also knock at the door of the Lok Sabha. Whether they have been apprised of the Trinamool Congress manifesto and whether they are convinced that Mamata has done wonders in two years is anybody’s guess. Mamata’s previous induction of actors like Debashree Ray had resulted in an open confrontation.
What is more to the point is Mamata’s reach for the national scene. Her alliance with Anna Hazare has proved a fiasco. She has herself mocked the third front. Where does she stand on the all-India platform? Actor Mausumi Chatterjee, another Mamata favourite, has bowed out saying that she does not stand a chance of winning in Mumbai. Finally, what about the politicos under Mamata’s banner? Will Maa Mati Manush cut much ice when her first two years have been focused mainly on industry, ITand city planning with dubious success? The removal of her number two, Partha Chatterjee, from the industry portfolio proves how much importance she attaches to the development of industry.