The Trinamool Congress is confident of winning the December 12 bypoll at Sabang Assembly constituency in West Midnapore, which is expected to be a litmus test for former party leader Mukul Roy, who recently defected to BJP. While Roy had always been known for his organisational skills, especially at the grassroots level, he has to take on the TMC, which is still supreme in state politics. The image of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is untarnished among the masses, according to political analysts. “We will win easily and with a thumping majority,” said state Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee. Sources said Roy has already started strengthening the BJP at the lowest tier, including in Sabang. However, state BJP leaders are not ready to depend on Roy alone. “We are not depending on any one person to win the election. Ours is not a one-man party. It is a cadre-based, issue-based and constitution-based party,” said BJP national secretary and former state president Rahul Sinha. He also said Sabang had been a turf of former Congress leader Manas Bhunia, who had recently defected to TMC. “I am not expecting a lot in this bypoll, but it is for sure that we will give a strong fight,” Sinha said. The election was necessitated after Bhunia, a six-time MLA from Sabang, was nominated to Rajya Sabha. The Congress too is not hopeful of winning the seat. “Let’s face it, our organisational strength in Sabang is not very strong. Bhunia is not a mass leader. We had won the seat last time owing to the alliance with the Left. If that happens this time as well, we can win. But if there is no alliance, we will have to fight alone, and might only end up giving a fight,” said Adhir Chowdhury, state Congress president.
