Trinamool fortress stands: How Mamata managed to withstand the siege laid to her citadel by BJP May 4, 2021, 7:50 AM IST
By Shibashis Chatterjee and Sumit Ganguly
The West Bengal election results have demonstrated that despite the battering rams that BJP brought to bear against the Trinamool Congress fortress, the edifice, though a bit pockmarked, still stands strong. Its ability to withstand the concerted attacks from BJP requires some explanation, because TMC under CM Mamata Banerjee had entered this election sandbagged with weighty problems.
At the outset, after a decade in office, it faced the threat of anti-incumbency. Under her watch the state hasn’t clocked significant economic growth. In fact, during her second term in office the state saw an average growth rate of 5.5% against a national average of 7.1%.