Opposition licks wounds

TT, Calcutta: The Supreme Court verdict on uncontested seats in the panchayat polls on Friday came as a boon for the Trinamul Congress and bane for the Opposition in Bengal.

In private, the Opposition admitted that it was Mamata Banerjee's most prominent triumph in the judiciary since the apex court's 2016 Singur judgement.

Several leaders from the BJP, CPM and the Congress this newspaper spoke to said on condition of anonymity that the verdict was a major loss of face for the Opposition.

A state functionary of the BJP described the verdict as a "tight slap across the face" of the Opposition.

Trinamul insiders said Mamata - a senior ruling party leader said she had been confident of a positive outcome for weeks - was "happy and relieved" with the verdict and was going to incorporate it in her speeches repeatedly in the coming months.

On her way out of the state secretariat on Friday evening, the chief minister lambasted the Opposition for "defaming" Bengal and hailed the apex court verdict.

"To me, it is a victory of democracy, a victory of the people, which I want to dedicate to the people of the nation.... We stand vindicated by the decision," said Mamata.

The Trinamul chief said the Opposition moving court seeking cancellation of elections in over 20,000 uncontested seats was a "planned move" to give the state a bad name.

The BJP, which was left stunned by the verdict, publicly admitted that it did not go in its favour, calling it "unexpected".

"We had really hoped fresh elections would be ordered for the uncontested seats," said BJP state general-secretary Sayantan Basu.

BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh said the happiness in Trinamul on account of the verdict would be "short-lived" as the Lok Sabha polls next year - to be conducted by the Election Commission of India under central forces - would be a different ballgame.

The CPM claimed there was no cause for the ruling party to be overjoyed with the verdict, asserting that the apex court recognised the alleged foul play but left it unpunished.

"The most notorious boy in the class is often rebuked, made to kneel down and then sent home in the end. This verdict reminds one of similar fate of the ruling party," said CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty.

Mamata, however, went on to accuse the Opposition of trying to delay the "valid" election process in an alleged attempt to cover up its own inability to field candidates.

Taking the opportunity, the Trinamul chief went on to attack the BJP in the national context.

"They are trying to control everything from what people eat to what the media will broadcast or publish. There is a limit to insulting the people," she said.

Mamata said the saffron camp, which had "no role" in the struggle for Independence, was now the "loudest" advocate of patriotism and certifies the extent of people's love for the nation.

"It's a totalitarian government.... There is no end to the wrongdoing. None of these the country has seen before. These things do not happen when there is true democracy.... The people will give a befitting reply," she added.