Kolkata: Eyeing not just the civic body poll slated for April this year but also the upcoming 2021 assembly election, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is all set to launch an extensive outreach program called ‘Amader Gorbo Mamata’ (Our Pride, Mamata) a senior party official told The Wire.
West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will launch the campaign on Monday at the Nazrul Mancha indoor-stadium, Kolkata.
This will be the TMC’s second campaign after ‘Didi ke bolo’ (Tell Didi) which was launched on September 30, 2019, ideated by poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s firm, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC). However, the presence of Kishor at Monday’s launch ceremony is doubtful.
A TMC MLA who asked not to be named said, “PK’s (Prashant Kishor) team has been working on a project since November last year. Now, we got to know that a big event is scheduled for Monday, we still don’t know the details.”
‘Amader Gorbo Mamata’ envisages all party MLAs and probable candidates in the assembly segment where TMC is not in power embarking on a 15-day outreach program to establish a direct connection with voters across Bengal.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior executive of I-PAC told The Wire, “We have been working on this campaign since the start of this year. Every MLA or likely candidate will spend 15 days in their respective constituencies and cover a minimum of 45 gram-panchayats during the period.”
The executive further explained that party leaders are being asked to conduct a door-to-door campaign while visiting villages or wards (for urban constituencies), to visit famous religious spots in their respective assembly segments and conduct corner-side meetings in villages.
“The basic plan for the campaign has been chalked out after rigorous ground-research; however the micro details will vary depending on the area and the need of the ground realities,” the executive said.
The executive went on to explain that the ‘Amader Gorbo Mamata’ campaign will be launched simultaneously in all 294 assembly segments in Bengal. “We planned to launch the campaign on March 2, and kick-start it from March 8. But there has been a delay in our preparation which might defer the execution process by a week,” he said.
After the BJP secured 18 seats in the 2019 parliamentary election, the highest ever tally for the saffron party in the state, the Trinamool engaged the professional services of Kishor through I-PAC.
The first brainchild of team I-PAC was ‘Didi Ke Bolo’, a public outreach drive by Trinamool in which common people can lodge their complaints and share suggestions over the phone or through a dedicated website.
Through the campaign, the party received over 10 lakh calls in the first 30 days. Calling it a huge success, the chief minister then said, “I am humbled by the overwhelming response of the people on the Didi Ke Bolo platform… We take note of their valuable suggestions and are committed to working overtime to resolve their grievances to an extent possible in an expeditious manner.”
After its Lok Sabha setback, the TMC sprang back to life in November last year with victories in all three Bengal assembly constituencies that went for by-polls. The victory was significant as TMC also won Kharagpur (Urban). BJP Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh was the MLA from there and had vacated the seat after winning the Kharagpur Lok Sabha seat. Political analysts believe the TMC’s 3-0 win in the by-elections was primarily because of effective strategies I-PAC put in place for the party.