Supreme Court rebuke of Mamata hands BJP extra ammo on poll eve | India News

New Delhi: Supreme CourtWest Bengal Chief Minister scolded Mamata Banerjee For his interference in the ED campaign in I-PAC, which worked for his government and Trinamool Congresshanded over BJP A useful weapon on the eve of the first phase of state polls as the party steps up its last-minute push to end its 15-year tenure in office.The BJP took on board the apex court’s scathing observation that he was a “jungle king” and a symbol of anarchy, and had no right to continue as chief minister. Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said on Wednesday that the people will free the state from its anarchic government on May 4 (the day of reckoning).BJP workers, especially in West Bengal, intensified the SC’s criticism of him during a multi-pronged campaign on the eve of the first phase of polling.Residents in parts of Kolkata woke up to “anonymous” posters sharing a QR code (pay2tmc) to avail various benefits, a sharp mockery of the alleged cut-money practices associated with the TMC, which many saw as part of the BJP’s expansion and ground game in its rival’s strongholds where the second phase in South Bengal is scheduled for April 29.Home Minister Amit Shah presided over a marathon meeting that went on past midnight in the state capital (Wednesday) with key party functionaries, taking feedback and giving directions aimed at manning the booths and garnering maximum votes among party supporters, especially in the second phase areas where the BJP had badly trailed the TMC in the previous elections. Shah, the BJP’s chief election strategist, will be camping in the state till April 27, the last day of campaigning, as the BJP goes all out.The view within the BJP is that it has been able to create a strong anti-incumbency narrative against Mamata, one of the strongest opposition satraps, and its campaign is fueled by her Hindutva agenda, promises of welfare aimed at women and youth, and action against intruders.BJP workers believe that what makes this election different from 2021, when their party campaigned hard with an air of expected victory but bowed to Mamata as the Trinamool Congress won 215 seats in the 288-member assembly, is that their cultural narrative has taken deeper roots and their ground presence has expanded.This, combined with a large presence of the SIR and central police force, has neutralized some of the advantages that ruling parties in the state have long enjoyed through electoral irregularities, they claim.