With West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar slated to win the Vice Presidential polls scheduled for August, CM Mamata Banerjee's silence on the matter has created confusion within her own party and ruffled feathers in the Opposition.
A faction of TMC leaders is hoping that the party supremo will make her position known on Dhankar's nomination and whether she will support Opposition's pick Margaret Alva for the VP polls at her meeting with TMC MPs on July 21.
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A senior TMC functionary justified Mamata's diplomatic stance saying that the party cannot fight the central government on every issue and sometimes, a go-slow policy is required. “Our party supremo took the initiative in the presidential election because there were some possibilities of defeating BJP. But the developments in Maharashtra changed everything. The result of the vice-presidential election is known. Our party supremo is taking a diplomatic stand. If Dhankhar becomes the vice-president, that is a relief for the state government. So, we are happy,” the leader told The Indian Express.
The Opposition on the other hand has alleged that the Trinamool had not taken a position because they reached an understanding with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), pointing to the CM's recent meeting with PM Narendra Modi and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. Mamata had dismissed it as a courtesy meeting and denied discussing the VP elections.
The rift between the CM and Dhankhar was constantly in the news as the latter has been a vocal critic of the TMC government in the state. Meanwhile, Banerjee has accused the governor of being corrupt and biased.
Dhankar's nomination got strong reactions from TMC, with senior MP Saugata Roy said, “He (Dhankhar) has been nominated as the vice-presidential candidate as a reward for opposing TMC.”