With eye on local body polls, TMC to launch new mass outreach programme on March 2

Kolkata, Feb 27: With an eye on the upcoming municipal polls in the state, the TMC has decided to launch a new mass outreach programme on March 2, after the success of "Didi ke Bolo" initiative.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has convened a meeting of all the councillors, chairmen, vice chairmen and senior leadership of the party-controlled municipalities on March 2 at Netaji Indoor stadium to prepare the strategy for the upcoming municipal polls in the state, a senior party leader said.

The elections to 107 municipalities and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), to be held this year, are being dubbed as "mini assembly elections" ahead of the 2021 state polls.

"Apart from spelling out the strategy for the upcoming municipal polls in the state, a new mass outreach programme would be launched to cater the civic areas which will go to the polls in April-May," the leader said. It will be different from the "Didi Ke Bolo" initiative, he added. The new programme is also a brain child of poll strategist Prashant Kishor and his team I-PAC, the TMC leader said.

According to TMC sources, the decision was taken following a massive response of the three-phased 'Didi ke Bolo' (Tell Didi) initiative, which provides a platform to the people to directly report their complaints to Banerjee. The BJP leadership which has emerged as a prime contender of the TMC in Bengal, mocked the Bengal's ruling party and called it a "sinking ship".

Banerjee in July last year had launched a helpline number and a website didikebolo.com as part of the outreach programme on the advise of poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who was appointed by the TMC after its Lok Sabha poll reverses. The outreach programme had received a huge response in its first month with more that 10 lakh people registering their grievances, the party sources said.

As part of the first phase of the initiative, close to 500 senior TMC leaders and MLAs have conducted outreach programmes in 1,022 villages. The TMC, for the March 2 programme, has sent personalised invitation cards with names of councillors and political leaders printed on them along with bar codes.