In the politics of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is seen as a militant and struggling leader. But in her almost three decade long political career, there were many such occasions when she appeared to be politically isolated. From breaking away from the Congress and forming a new party to distancing herself from national alliances and now the rebellion within her own party, Mamata has faced difficult situations many times.
In the latest development, after the major defeat of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the West Bengal Assembly elections, dissatisfaction within the party has come to the fore. 58 MLAs have adopted a rebellious stance, which has created a serious crisis for the party leadership. In political circles, this is being considered as one of the biggest internal crises of Mamata Banerjee’s political career. However, even before this there have been many occasions when questions have been raised on his leadership ability and political strength.
Also read: Lalu and Rabri will no longer get Z+ security, Tejashwi’s Y+ cover remains intact.
Four big occasions, when Mamata Banerjee looked isolated
- 1997–98: Rebellion against Congress and formation of a new party
Mamata Banerjee’s solo journey began in December 1997, when she was expelled from the party following ideological differences with the top leadership of West Bengal Congress. She was all alone without any major organizational structure or support from Delhi, after which she founded the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on 1 January 1998. - 2004: Defeat in general elections
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Mamata Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress (TMC) performed very poorly and lost almost completely. In Bengal, TMC had contested elections on 29 seats but could win only one seat. In that election, Mamata Banerjee herself survived as the only MP of the party. He defeated CPM’s Rabin Deb by 98,429 votes. - 2006: Defeat in assembly elections
After this, TMC had to face a big defeat in the Bengal Assembly elections 2006 also. At that time the party had contested elections on 257 seats but could win only 30 seats. After this, political analysts had assumed that Mamata has now become completely irrelevant and isolated. - 2012: Decision to separate from UPA government
After assuming power in West Bengal in 2011, Mamata Banerjee was a very important ally of Manmohan Singh’s central government. However, in September 2012 he withdrew support from the government in protest against FDI in retail and rising diesel prices. Mamta had thought that other regional parties would also support her but this did not happen and the big parties did not support her. Due to which she became largely alone in national politics.
Comments are closed.