NEW DELHI: As regional parties from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra pledge their support to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in her fight against BJP, which has emerged as the main challenger to TMC in Bengal for the first time, the assembly election is turning into a Mamata versus (Narendra) Modi battle.
If this pitch is carried out through the campaign for the month-long eight-phased polling in the state, it could throw Banerjee straight into the national canvas if she wins her third term in office.
After Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena on Thursday extended support to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee saying the Maharashtra party will not contest for assembly polls in Bengal. Hailing Banerjee as the “real Bengal tigress,” the Maharashtra party, which had earlier said it would join the electoral battle in the state, vowed to “stand in solidarity” with TMC.