From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, April 21: The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) wants to set up its base at the grassroots level in four Northeastern states, including Meghalaya, going to elections next year instead of only banking on big names.
According to AITC insiders, the party’s strategy in Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram is to grow at the expense of the Congress, which has largely lost its ground in the region.
The party’s focus is more on Meghalaya where it has managed to bring some top leaders, along with most of their supporters, to its side.
However, it is wary about not repeating its Goa mistakes. The party’s realisation that it cannot rely only on poaching MLAs for electoral success has made it decide on building its base right from the grassroots level.
The party insiders felt that replicating the Goa exercise in Meghalaya might harm the party in the state, ultimately helping the National People’s Party-led state government.
AITC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to visit Meghalaya on May 3 to hold a meeting with state leaders.
The AITC is Meghalaya’s principal opposition party. It had risen to the second position in Tripura as well a few years ago but the MLAs in due course defected to the BJP.
The party’s Tripura campaign lost steam with two rebel BJP MLAs – Sudip Roy Barman and Ashish Kumar Saha – changing their mind and joining the Congress. They were expected to join the AITC.
Meanwhile, political strategist Prashant Kishor’s proposed joining of the Congress is likely to give shape to Opposition unity. He will have a one-on-one meeting with Congress interim president, Sonia Gandhi on Friday, according to sources.
Sonia had appointed a group of Congress leaders to examine Kishor’s presentations on the party’s revival and strategy for the upcoming state elections as well as the 2024 national elections. Kishor gave presentations to Congress leaders, including the party’s two Chief Ministers, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel.
Kishor’s election success stories feature Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. His plan also focuses on states where elections are due later this year and in 2023 – Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh besides the four states in the Northeast.a