While corruption is unlikely to be an issue in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls as the main players are not keen on highlighting it, this could be a key issue in West Bengal and Kerala with the Left, the
While corruption is unlikely to be an issue in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls as the main players are not keen on highlighting it, this could be a key issue in West Bengal and Kerala with the Left, the BJP, and even the Congress (only in West Bengal) making it the main plank against the Trinamul Congress and the UDF.
Significantly, central leaders of the Congress and the BJP are not in demand as local leaders in the four states and one Union Territory going to polls next month are confident of fighting the battle on their own.
In Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK and the Opposition DMK-led front cannot afford to make corruption as an issue for obvious reasons. But the BJP, wanting to gain space there, too is unlikely to aggressively take up the issue because it would send the wrong message to the AIADMK. Governance, performance and other state-related issues could dominate election campaigning.
But in West Bengal the Left, the Congress and the BJP have come together against the ruling Trinamul Congress on scams and corruption. But chief minister Mamata Banerjee will try to shift the focus from corruption and governance to communalism. The BJP’s “nationalism” plank is seen as an attempt to polarise people on communal lines. This, its critics feel, is seen as pro-Hindu and against the minorities. The Congress and the BJP are fighting the West Bengal battle not to form a government on their own but to gain space and increase their numbers. The Left-Congress’ unofficial alliance could split the votes of the minorities.
If Congress insiders are to be believed, Ms Mamata Banerjee could be a player for one election, but after that her cadre would return to the parent party. The BJP, for its part, believes its strong “nationalism line” will unite Hindus against the Left and the TMC in the long run because the TMC has not been identified with governance as chief ministers Naveen Patnaik and Nitish Kumar are in Orissa and Bihar, respectively.
In Kerala, the Congress, heading the UDF, has been on the defensive on the issue of corruption, but BJP sources predict that the Sonia Gandhi-led party could be a gainer due to the support of Christians and Muslims.
