KOLKATA: Taking a lesson from the campaign style of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi Assembly elections, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has asked her party functionaries to initiate preparations for 2021 manifesto highlighting the development projects implemented by the state government.
Mamata sought suggestions and opinions from MPs, MLAs and the lower-tier workers as well to ascertain the specific issues to be showcased in the manifesto ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
"We will follow the AAP’s model as it proved effective despite the BJP’s aggressive electoral stance in Delhi elections. In the manifesto, the CM wants to highlight the slew of government projects and schemes implemented during the last 10-years of her tenure. The manifesto will also mention what the party had promised in 2016 Assembly elections and how many of them have been implemented on ground," said a senior TMC leader.
Sources in the party said the results of the survey conducted by election strategist Prashant Kishor and his team would also be in the manifesto, which will be designed considering the BJP as the main rival. "The saffron camp’s divisive politics on the line of religion and spreading hatred among the two communities will be also be there. We will give it priority because such divisive electoral practice doesn’t fit to the social fabric of West Bengal," said another TMC leader.
The TMC supremo wanted to give the party’s young foot-soldiers and veteran leaders equal priority and this is why he sought opinion from the youth brigade. It is because the number of young voters aged between 18 and 25 are considerable in each of the 294 Assembly constituencies.
TMC sources said once the opinion from party workers and elected representatives would come, a draft manifesto would be prepared. A special committee headed by the chief minister will be set up to give the draft a final shape. The committee will release the manifesto.
The manifesto will also mention the time required for the completion of the government projects which were announced before the 2016 Assembly elections. "The CM, on several occasions, hit out at the BJP labelling functionaries of the party who were visiting Bengal as outsiders. This issue will also be highlighted in our promise-list ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections," said another TMC leader.