Mamata Banerjee camped in this industrial city for 12 days, which evoked mixed reaction from the locals. Both the party workers and leaders and the Opposition had to reschedule their plans due to the CM’s presence here.
“It’s quite a matter of pride that the state’s chief minister is staying with us in the city, but the policemen blocking the roads for hours during her movement is unbearable. We had to waste tile waiting for her convoy to pass,” said Durgapur Steel Plant worker Partha Biswas. He was supported by lawyer Abhoy Bhattacharya, who said, “Why are we kept waiting to facilitate her movement?”
Both are voters of Bardhaman Durgapur Sabha constituency. Moumita Pali, a housewife waiting on her scooter near Gandhi Morh, near the helipad said, “She’s our chief minister, we should wait for her safety and security as long as it’s required.”
The Trinamul Congress chairperson to stay in Durgapur for the city’s strategic location having close access to neighbourhood districts like Birbhum, Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Hooghly, Nadia and East Burdwan where she was flying from Gandhi Morh everyday.
She was staying here for 12 days, but prior to that, she camped here for four days giving a break of five days. The city has however been frustrating her since the 2016 Assembly election when voters elected a CPM and a Congress candidate in its two segments. In 2019, it gave the BJP candidate Surinder Singh Ahluwalia a lead margin of 76,000 votes and in 2021, the Durgapur (Paschim) constituency elected an MLA from the BJP.
Her continued stay meanwhile has left a horizontal influence on her partymen, who faced internal squabbles, especially after a fresh committee was declared for INTTUC, party’s labour arm. Also, the party was visibly split in two groups of loyalists of ministers, Moloy Ghatak and Pradip Majumdar over a year, especially due Asansol leader’s hyper intervention in Durgapur affairs. Former district president Apurba Mukherjee kept himself away from the party after he was replaced by his successor. Abhijit Ghatak, INTTUC district president and brother of minister Ghatak, said, “We really feel recharged and are united now.” Narendranath Chakraborty, district president of TMC said, “The roadshow has shown how our guardian made everyone in the party join hands before the election.”