NE NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, OCT 3
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress’s chief Mamata Banerjee’s roaring victory in the Bhabanipur bypoll on Sunday has not only sent shock waves through the saffron camp, there was an eerie silence since morning at the party’s West Bengal State Election Office at Hastings and its state office at 6, Muralidhar Sen Street in Kolkata.
Banerjee won the Bhabanipur bypoll by 58,835 votes, exceeding her own record in 2011 where she won by a margin of 54,213 votes.
No BJP leader was seen at the party offices as most of them preferred staying indoors and were glued to the news channels to get poll updates from Bhabanipur, Samserganj and Jangipur. Several empty chairs piled one after another giving a strong sense of “giving it up” before the TMC. Moreover, no one was present at both offices to announce party’s stand after the poll debacle in all the three seats.
“Babu log abhi nahi aya hai (the party leaders have not come so far)”, said one of the caretakers at party’s 6, Muralidhar Sen Street office while dusting the desks and chairs.
Surprisingly, the social media team of the BJP remained silent throughout the day.
A Kolkata Police constable in front of 6, Muralidhar Sen Street office of BJP was looking restless and was frequently staring at his watch waiting for his official duty hours to get over. “The situation is peaceful. No one came since morning,” the constable said while yawning as there was nothing much for him to do.
Meanwhile, near both the BJP party offices, a section of TMC supporters at Chittaranjan Avenue and at St Georges Gate Road were seen dancing to the tune of ‘Khela Hobe’ (game is on) song and raised slogans of ‘Ma’ (mother), ‘Mati’ (soil), ‘Manus’ (people) and equate ‘B’ for ‘Bhabanipur’ and ‘B’ for ‘Bharat’.
Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy termed Mamata Banerjee’s victory as “reaffirmation of people’s faith in TMC and party’s chief”.
“Mamata Banerjee has emerged as one of the most trusted and dependable faces of India. I came to know that since morning all the BJP leaders decided to stay at their house and no one visited their party offices. In coming days, their party officers will be under lock and key as there will be no one working for the BJP in Bengal. They should accept that the people of Bengal have rejected them,” Roy said.
