KOLKATA: Even as Mamata Banerjee’s Federal Front gets its first political jolt with major regional parties, like Nitish-led JDU, Jayalalithaa’s AIDMK, Navin-led BJD, decamping with Left Front big brothers, CPI and CPI(M), for presumably a Third Front, the Trinamool Congress takes these political signals “rather seriously,’’ admitted a senior TMC leader on condition of anonymity.
He said: “We will dominate in LS polls in West Bengal in all 42 LS seats and emerge stronger than our immediate rivals, but nationally these alerts send us uncomfortable signals.’’
Though there are other senior leaders in TMC who do not see the reasons for much worries: “for we’ll emerge biggest force from Bengal, Tripura and some of the Northeastern states like Assam and Manipur and our strength couldn’t be politically ignored during any post-poll negotiations in Government formation,’’ said the more confident party members.
Even political commentators who feel TMC would be “an unstoppable force in West Bengal,’’ they “cannot share this optimistimism about its wider political acceptability in Delhi with the regional parties during a changed post-poll scenario.’’
However, BJP’s rally here on Wednesday would “reveal much to us about both the political prospect and status of a non-Congress Government in Delhi,’’ admitted a senior State Congress leader, adding, “after all Bengal never proved to be a strong foothold for them after Dr Samaya Prasad Mukherjee petered out untimely in Kashmir in 1953.’’
“If Modi’s rally is a success story, not even TMC but Congress and Left might find their rate of success dipping,’’ he admitted.
Interestingly, while Mamata Banerjee’s call for a Federal Front began to get likely non-endorsements from other major regional parties, a case for her would only arise if BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and minority-led Congress United Progressive Alliance do not get respectable number of MPs.
Another alert that “she may not be sought after by a Congress formation (unless Sonia changes her mind)’’ came from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the by-centenary celebration of national museum in here yesterday.
Singh visibly showed almost no interest beyond a level of formality when Mamata Banerjee wanted to confer with him during her brief meeting at the function. Rather Singh listened to all state Congress complains against TMC Government!
“So last option is `other’ post-poll formation which is not predictable right now, or with all big numbers she may remain politically an isolated force,’’ feel a very senior political commentator whom very recently a CPI(M) Politbureau member called up to know his assessment about party’s prospect in Bengal!

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