“
Amar ma-bonera bolun, khela hobe toh (Tell me my mothers and sisters, is the game on?)”
Mamata Banerjee has been concluding almost all her campaign speeches with this question. The response invariably has been overwhelming, with the women in the audience responding enthusiastically: “
Hyan Didi (yes, Didi).”
Trinamul poll strategists think that if the majority of women in Bengal respond to Mamata the way those attending her rallies have been, a third term as chief minister is certain.
The pulse of the people can be gauged from election rallies. However, there is a flip side. Such events are usually attended by people favourably disposed towards a political party and so the mood of the rally may not be the general mood of the electorate.