KOLKATA: An unassuming, affable lady walks down the dilapidated corridors of the Computer Science and Engineering building at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University (JU). Nandini Mukherjee, 45, director of JU’s School of Mobile Computing and Communication, is used to being greeted by students during her stint at the university for almost 20 years now. As a professor she is genuinely loved by students and colleagues alike; but today is a special day. The greetings are inter-spliced with congratulatory and good luck messages. After all, it’s not often that a professor gets to challenge one of the most powerful political leaders of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee. Mukherjee filed her nomination on September 5, which was also Teacher’s Day. She is standing against the indomitable West Bengal Chief Minister from the Bhowanipore constituency in the September 25 bypoll.
In political circles, Mukherjee is being called a “sacrificial lamb” who has been entrusted to take on Didi on a CPI(M) ticket. But she remains unfazed trying to balance her campaigning, lectures and the home front. “I’m not looking at her (Banerjee) as the Chief Minister. But yes, it is a challenging task. In the last few years, she has been able to win over people’s support and gain respect and that is indeed laudable,” added Mukherjee who holds a PhD from the University of Manchester.
Days start early with ‘padyatras’ where she goes from door to door. Even though colleagues help out, she tries to drop into the university to deliver lectures. Most of the evenings are spent resuming the ‘padyatras’. “I have visited slums and have delivered speeches at small meetings. There will be a big public meeting with senior leaders soon,” said Mukherjee as she hurriedly added that three weeks of campaigning was too short. Even a few years would perhaps be inadequate to match up to Banerjee’s popularity but Mukherjee is optimistic.
The verdict however is predictable; Banerjee is expected to win with a landslide victory. And if Mukherjee can make even a little impact on Didi’s vote share, the Left Front’s purpose would be achieved. “The Left Front is contesting the bypolls and it’s not me alone. We have an ideology and our own political rhetoric. I’ll follow this and take this thinking to the people,” said Mukherjee.
It is a daunting task but Mukherjee insists that she isn’t a political greenhorn. She has actively participated in various movements and has been a member of the Executive Committee of pro-Left Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) for almost six years. But her interest in politics started way back in 1983 when as a first year student she joined the Student’s Federation of India in erstwhile Shibpur BE College (now known as Bengal Engineering and Science University). In fact, she was the only female student in her batch to participate in walks organised by the student wing of the CPI(M).
She will take up the issues of political violence targeting Left workers and price rise in her campaigns.