Bengal polls 2016: Why Mamata is not looking confident in Singur

Singur (West Bengal), April 23: It was the epicentre of the Mamata Banerjee earthquake which had demolished the 34-year Left rule in West Bengal in 2011. But five years since the making of history, the same Banerjee, currently the chief minister, is feeling apprehensive about repeating the same feat here.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo will campaign in Singur in Hooghly district which will go to polls on April 25 (Monday) on Saturday (April 23) but even her presence has not assured the party. Reason: The TMC's serious internal feud.

A number of local leaders of the party have refused to campaign for Rabindranath Bhattacharya, the TMC candidate and sitting MLA from this constituency which made the headlines over the failed story of the Nano car industry. They want to leave out some tainted members from the poll committee of Bhattacharya, a teacher by profession, but the latter is not ready to lend ears.

According to a number of local TMC leaders, the party member who was expelled on charges of siphoning off lakhs is accompanying Bhattacharya in this election. Another co-worker of the candidate has also been accused of not neglecting the local politics but turning up during the time of the election. Even the effort made by the TMC's Hooghly MP Ratna De Nag to the party members to overcome all odds and come together has not paid off.

The local leaders also asked the top leadership of the TMC to change the candidate from Singur and took out rallies protesting Bhattacharya's candidature. The upset candidate left out members of the protesting block committee while forming his own poll committee.

In this background, it will be challenging for Mamata Banerjee to lead her party to another sweep in Hooghly this time (the TMC had won 16 of the 18 seats in this district last time).

Bhattacharya himself polled over 1 lakh votes and defeated his nearest rival by 34,811 votes.

Oneindia News