Bengal polls: Whatever be it on May 19, Mamata did great in covering month-long poll

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee winded up her tedious campaigning for this year's Assembly election after addressing the final rally on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the final phase on Thursday (May 5).

Banerjee addressed nearly 200 public meetings over 56 days in as many of the 294 Assembly constituencies of the state, which suggests the extent to which the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is dependent on her. [Mamata lashes out at ABP Group]

The TMC supremo addressed her final rally in Dinhata where former Forward Bloc legislator Udayan Guha is contesting this election on her party's ticket. There, Banerjee said her party had already won the election and the question now is by what margin. [Why ABP is hell-bent to see Mamata lose]

Whatever be the outcome on May 19, Banerjee deserves a pat on her back for carrying the burden of her battered and bruished party during the month-long election. A number of her party's leaders faced charges of corruption and all the Opposition parties took her on, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top Congress leaders like Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, besides a section of the hostile and influential media and the Election Commission. But Banerjee did not give up for a second. She took a soft stand at times, pleading the voters not to be upset with her but whatever it is, she did not let it go without a fight. [Why nobody is talking about TMC's Upen Biswas?]

Modi had put up a similar effort during the 2014 LS poll in which he led the BJP

This is the first time that the TMC is contesting a state election alone (the party had contested the Assembly polls in alliance with the Congress twice and BJP once) and also Banerjee is countering the anti-incumbency for the first time in her long political career. There were signs of nervousness at times but Banerjee didn't lose her style anytime ever.

One leader of the TMC even likened the TMC with a solar system of bits and pieces with Banerjee at the centre and despite all flaws, she leads the party and is the party.

The long duration of this Assembly election had made it tougher for Banerjee for being the only face of her party with whom people identify themselves, she had to cover the state in the intense heat. But she did it with style.