KOLKATA: As Trinamool Congress' (TMC) slogan 'Bangla Nijer Meyeke Chay' (Bengal wants its own daughter) seemed to have hit the right chord with its target audience in the Bengal elections 2021, the ruling party on Sunday rolled out a new catch-line for the by-polls in Bhowanipore Assembly constituency from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will contest.
Bhowanipore Assembly seat was CM Mamata's erstwhile constituency before she decided to contest from Nandigram against her former lieutenant and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari. The TMC highlighted Mamata as a daughter of Bhowanipore in the new slogan 'Unnayan Ghore Ghore, Ghorer Meye Bhowanipore' (Development is everywhere, Bhowanipore has its own daughter).
The party is expected to fight the by-elections in seven Assembly constituencies, including Bhowanipore, in September, a month before CM Mamata’s stipulated time of getting elected is over. She lost to Adhikari in Nandigram.
The slogan was coined by Jai Hind Bahini, a wing of the ruling party to counter BJP ideological link RSS, and it was placed before the party leaders in a meeting on Saturday.
"TMC’s state president Subrata Bakshi, minister Firhad Hakim and other functionaries were present in the meeting and the new slogan was approved. Though the date of the by-election is yet to be announced, we are campaigning using the slogan on social media platforms. Besides, hoardings with the new catch-line have already been placed in the constituency from where the chief minister will contest," said a TMC leader.
'Bengal wants its own daughter' slogan was a brainchild of I-PAC, the team of election strategist Prashant Kishor who was hired by the TMC after its unimpressive performance in the 2019 general elections.
The slogan was aimed at two purposes—showcasing Mamata as Bengal’s very own daughter and sharpening TMC’s campaign branding the BJP as a party of outsiders.
Kartic Banerjee, the president of Jai Hind Bahini, said, "Didi (Mamata) is Bhowanipore’s daughter. She returned to her old constituency. We are kicking off the campaign for the by-election with the new slogan."
Mamata was elected from Bhowanipore in 2011 and 2016 Assembly elections. TMC’s candidate Shovandeb Chattopadhyay was elected with a margin of more than 28,000 votes and he resigned on May 21 to pave the way for Mamata to return to her fortress.