After slide in Lok Sabha polls, Mamata to hold first Trinamool Martyrs' Day rally today

This will be the first martyrs' day rally, which is held on July 21 every year, after the Trinamool came down from its previous tally of 34 Lok Sabha seats to 22. Of course, the biggest gain was registered by her new arch-rival BJP, which had won 18 seats, the highest ever by the right-wing party in the state, which was once a Left bastion.

The public, however, has got a sense of some points Mamata would touch upon on Sunday and one of them would be the demand to bring back ballot papers in the elections, thus sending out a message to her followers that the loss was caused by a technical manipulation of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) by the BJP and not owing to her eroding popularity. While her critics call it a face saving slogan before the crowd, demand for a return to ballot papers instead of EVMs headline the publicity materials of her rally across the state.

Immediately after her party registered a dismal show in the polls, the Trinamool chief, reminding her days as the opposition leaders, raised doubts over the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and accused the BJP of "programming" the machines to win the electoral battle.

When 13 people fell to police firing on July 21, 1993 in the Left Front regime, Mamata then was demanding that identity card be made mandatory to cast votes. The Trinamool Congress commemorates the death of the 13 people on this day every year.

Why this Martyrs' Day is crucial for Mamata?

Mamata is set to hold the mega rally at a time her party is facing a stiff challenge from the BJP, which has been able to erode her support base by attracting several Trinamool leaders to their party fold after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister on May 23.

In last one year, Trinamool leaders like Arjun Singh, Saumitra Khan, Anupam Hazra have switched to the BJP. Also leaders like Sovan Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Dutta have kept the party guessing about their political leanings.

Not only the defection, the Trinamool's winning of 22 seats is the worst performance by West Bengal's ruling party in a long time after it had uprooted the CPI-M government from the state in 2011.

While showcasing celebrities is part of the Trinamool Congress brand of politics in West Bengal with some of the top Tollywood film industry names now her lawmakers, the BJP is not behind in wooing film and TV personalities in their fold as there is a steady recruitment of the showbiz people in the saffron party in Bengal.

(Writing by Souvik Ghosh) 

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